


Of Hearts and Love and Dwarfs

by myRomAnticheart



Category: Actor RPF, British Actor RPF, Richard Armitage - Fandom, Richard Armitage Fan Fiction - Fandom, Richard Armitage RPF, The Hobbit RPF
Genre: Age Difference, Dating, Developing Relationship, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Love, Romance, Smut, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-06
Updated: 2016-05-29
Packaged: 2018-03-10 18:59:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 76,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3300206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myRomAnticheart/pseuds/myRomAnticheart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a horribly failed relationship in her past, Emma Meyer hadn't been very lucky when it came to love. Closed off and with walls around her heart, her flight instincts kick in as soon as a guy gets too close to her too quickly, destroying any possible relationship before it can even begin. </p><p>That all changes when Emma gets the call from two of her friends who organize the weekend-long DwarfCon convention and want her to be the personal assistant of none other than Richard Armitage. The moment their eyes meet at the airport, something deep within Emma shifts, throwing her life off its axis. How will she ever recover from that weekend? Can she really risk to lose her heart? Does she even have a choice in that?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there everyone!
> 
> I've struggled for a very long time if I should really start writing this and struggled then even longer if I should publish it... But once I started I just couldn't stop and so here we are now... I know it's wrong and I did feel a little crazy for actually wirting this fic but yeah... If I should go to hell for it then I want it to be worth it at least ;)
> 
> This is, of course, purely a work of fiction and for entertainment purposes only. I don't want to offend anyone, even less Mr. Armitage, of course. The character of him that I've created wears his face and his name only, everything else springs from my imagination.
> 
> One last warning, before the fun begins: English is not my first language and I apologize sincerely for any mistakes in grammar and spelling that I've missed. I don't have a beta reader but if any of you guys has time and wants to jump in, I'd be forever grateful of course. I still hope the fic is readable though :-)
> 
> Without further ado... Let the games... uh... fun begin :)

_Tuesday, May 12th, 2015_

“Okay, so summing up my hour long rant now… as you’ve seen, your job is actually fairly easy. Bring the actors to their appointments on time and back to the green room after that and sit by them during autograph sessions and meet & greets to keep them safe and comfortable. Others than that, just be their shadows, help them if they need help, translate if necessary and keep them out of trouble.”

Emma scanned the room, looking at her comrades for the next couple of days. The group of seven personal assistants at the DwarfCon, a _The Hobbit_ convention that was going to be held from May 15th to 17th in Frankfurt, Germany, looked excited and ready to go. Most of them were there for the first time, not knowing what was going to happen to them, once the convention started. Emma had already helped Mary and Claudia, the two organizers of the con, last year and therefore knew exactly what awaited her. Hundreds of unstoppable women, trying to take photographs when they weren’t supposed to take them and asking for hugs when they weren’t supposed to ask for them. Emma almost dreaded those moments where she undoubtedly would have had to be the party pooper and forbid these things, most definitely earning more than one death glare or nasty word for it. 

And still, even after having been put through the hoops that past year, she hadn’t been able to say ‘no’ to Mary and Claudia, whom she considered good friends. ‘We need people who we can trust for that kind of job,’ they had said to which Emma had replied that work was really keeping her busy and that she had no idea if she would even be able to get a few days off. ‘Please think about it. You did such a great job with Jed Brophy last year, we could really use your help this year as well,’ they had almost begged. ‘Okay, I will see what I can do,’ Emma had finally agreed, almost five months ago now.

Of course, it had been no problem at all for her to take those few days off, seeing as Emma’s boss did almost everything she asked of him. Having been the personal assistant of Carl for over a year now and never failing him once not only lead to one of the best working relationships she has ever had (which, then again, was not so hard after only graduating from college 1,5 years ago) but also taught her a lot about looking after someone in a strictly professional sense. As strictly professional as the job of a personal assistant can be anyways because sooner or later the lines of business and private life become blurry when you spend so much time with another person.

Emma was pulled back to the present time, when loud clapping sounds echoed through the room. 

“Okay, ladies and gents, that’s all for now. Enjoy today and tomorrow, before the madness starts on Thursday. For those of you helping us with the pre-registration on Thursday, we’re gonna meet at 10 am for a quick team meeting to explain the technicalities of the registration process. For all those starting to work on Friday, please be here at 9 am for the team meeting of the personal assistants. You’ll meet your protégés at 9:30 am and will have the opportunity to talk to them for a couple of moments before the convention starts at 10:30 am. Until then, stay safe and have a great time!” Mary finished her speech and the noise exploded through the room. Notebooks being closed with a snap, stairs scratching over the floor, jackets being put on, bags being open and closed and female voices chattering wildly.

Once more, Emma felt somewhat out of place, as she didn’t understand all the excitement in the room. Sure, it was going to be an interesting and maybe even rewarding couple of days but it was also going to be exhausting and stressful, if last year was any indication for that. 

Scanning the room again before getting up from her chair, Emma watched the sound engineers and the stage designers setting up a pedestal in the Liberty Ball Room of Hilton Hotel Frankfurt. The room was beautiful with indirect light spots all around the walls and up on the roof, enlightening the silvery shining waves of glass, draped through the huge room, bathing the otherwise bare space in a warm and cozy atmosphere. The stage was flanked by two big screens, allowing even those in the last rows to see everything. In the back of the room, four men clothed in dark blue and wine red uniforms started to set up the rows of chairs, trying to make their way around the many boxes that were still standing around.

Just when Emma was about to follow the rest of the group outside she was called back by Claudia.

“Hey Emma, do you have a second for us?”

Walking back to the two women who were still sitting at their desk, with Mary staring intensely into her computer, Emma let her purse and jacket fall back onto one of the chairs nearby.

“What’s up?” Emma wanted to know.

“We have a small problem. Gary, our driver for the next couple of days, has caught a cold and is lying in bed with a fever.”

“Ooookaaaay… And how do I fit into that situation,” Emma asked curiously.

“Well, you see… Richard’s plane is going to land in two hours and Gary was supposed to pick him up from the airport. But since he is sick now and we have to stay here because the caterer will be here in an hour and the security agency afterwards, we thought that maybe you could pick Richard up instead? He is your charge after all so you’d have time to already get to know him a little.”

“Uhm… okay… I guess… I mean, yeah, sure, why not… It’s just, how do I do that?”

“Don’t worry about anything. Here, you can take the spare car we rented until the weekend,” Claudia said, handing Emma the car keys. “You also might wanna take this,” Mary added, grabbing something from the box behind her. “Here,” Mary nodded, holding a lanyard keychain with a badge on it in her direction. 

“This is the badge that will a) give you full access to the event area around here and b) identify you as Richard’s personal assistant. Just show it to him and it’s all gonna be okay.”

“Alright…”

“Don’t worry about anything. Just pick him up from the airport. Take him to the hotel. We’ll take care of everything else from there.”

“Okay, I can do that,” Emma replied, still with a slightly unsure touch to her voice while she stored the badge and the car keys in her bag.

One hour later, after having moved into her own room at the hotel and getting freshened up from the long journey to Frankfurt that morning she was on her way to the airport to pick Richard up. Richard. Richard freaking Armitage. Emma still couldn’t believe that she would actually be looking after Richard Armitage for a whole weekend.

When Claudia had called Emma about two weeks ago with the final line-up of the convention, Emma almost couldn’t believe her ears.

***

__

_“Listen, as you’ve probably already seen from the announcements these past months, the line-up this year will be pretty much completely different from the one last year. Sadly, your Jed Brophy will not be able to make it this year. Instead we have Graham McTavish, Aidan Turner, Dean O’Gorman, William Kircher and Steven Hunter. Ken Stott sadly had to cancel yesterday…”_

_“Oh no, really? I was really looking forward to meet him after he already couldn’t attend last year. That sucks big time,” Emma cut in._

_“I know, it really does. But you will never believe who we managed to get instead.”_

_Going through the list of names in her head, Emma came up with a few names that would all be great replacements for Ken Stott, Martin Freeman, Lee Pace or Luke Evans to name just a few of them. They had only announced dwarves so far, so maybe they would shake things up a little bit?_

_“RICHARD ARMITAGE!!! Can you believe it or not?” Claudia squeaked into the telephone._

_“Or not! Seriously? How did you manage to do that? I thought he’s too expensive?”_

_“No… He seemed to have a change of mind. Well, his agents did but who cares? We’re going to announce him tonight and I bet we’ll be sold out by the end of the week. There are only a few tickets left as it is.”_

_“Okay… Wow… I’m really surprised he agreed to do a convention… He just doesn’t seem the type for an event like that,” Emma mused, scratching her chin as she thought back to some interviews she had just recently read._

_“I know, right? Even more reason to be happy that he’s coming! Which leads me to the real purpose of my call… You know that we intended for you to be Aidan Turner’s PA but with that new turn of events, we would now like to have you as Richard’s PA. Is that okay for you?”_

_“Me? Why me?”_

_“Don’t you want to? We just thought…”_

_“No no, don’t get me wrong, I’ll be happy to assist him during the weekend. I’m just surprised that you’d pick me for the job…”_

_“Well… Like you said, Richard is usually not the type for such things, seeing how cautious and shy he is sometimes… He’s a bit like we see you, and I don’t mean that in an offensive way. It’s just that with your calm presence we think that your two personalities could match. And you follow his career and know stuff about him… You’ll be the perfect PA.”_

_“Weeell, I wouldn’t say ‘know stuff about him’ because there isn’t a whole lot to learn about him on the internet. But I mean, I won’t complain. Like I said, I’ll be glad to be his PA.”_

_“Awesome! Then that’s that. I’ll contact you again in a couple of days with the details. Talk to you soon!”_

_“Bye, Claudia.”_

 

***

When the lights switched to green, Emma turned left at the traffic lights, speeding in the direction of the autobahn that would take her to the airport. Richard’s plane was due at 2:35 pm, which meant that Emma had forty-five more minutes to get there.

Fifteen minutes later, finding a free parking space in the short-term parking zone turned out to be more of a challenge than getting there in time. After going in rounds for the third time, a car right in front of Emma finally left the parking zone. Emma parked the rented black BMW in the free space and locked it, before checking her appearance in the window of the car. Her reddish-blonde hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail, her green eyes staring back at her tiredly. Looking down at her 5’6’’ body, she tried to smooth out the slightly wrinkled black jeans that she’d already been wearing on the long drive to Frankfurt this morning. Once Emma decided that her looks wouldn’t get any better than this, she headed to gate 1B while at the same time checking her cell phone to reassure herself of the flight details.

When Emma finally got to the correct gate she was surprised that it was almost empty. Looking at her watch, she saw that in only fifteen more minutes, the plane was due to arrive. As after a couple of minutes still no one seemed to wait for the arrival of the flight, Emma started to look around nervously. Just then, a female voice sounded from the speakers.

__

“Attention please, I repeat: Flight LH 905 from London-Heathrow has landed and exit will be at gate 1A. Please beware that the gate changed due to technical problems. Thank you for your attention.”

With real panic setting in then, Emma looked frantically around for directions. Above her head, a sign pointed towards her right-hand side, the gate being five minutes walking distance away from her current position. Cursing, Emma pulled her bag tighter to her body and started walking towards the other gate, praying that she would still be on time.

Arriving at 1A, she found herself surrounded by at least thirty people, either holding flowers or signs (one even balloons), some of them looking happy and excited, others in grey and black suits grumpy and stressed. Having no idea, where to place herself or what to do next, Emma stayed close to the exit but still far enough away as to not appear too pushy. 

When the first noises of activity sounded through the closed, milky glass walls, a nervous tingle stirred in Emma’s stomach. _‘Get a grip. He’s just a guy like all the other men out there. All’s going to be okay.’_ Tapping anxiously from one foot to the other, Emma continuously checked her watch, only to find out that only seconds had passed. 

After what seemed like an eternity, which it most definitely hadn’t been, the glass walls finally slid open and the first passengers walked out, carrying their bags or rolling their suitcases after them. A nagging feeling rushed through Emma’s head. _‘What if you don’t recognize him?’ – ‘Bullshit. Of course, you will.’ – ‘But I haven’t been up to date to his whereabouts or his current style.’ – ‘Stay calm. You will know him if he’s standing in front of you.’ – ‘But…’ – ‘SHUT UP!’_

And then, just like that, the nervous tingle exploded, as the glass wall slid open once more and _he_ walked through it. Emma felt like a bolt of lightning has struck her as she took in his sight. Richard was tall… much taller than she had expected. He was wearing light, washed out jeans and a grey shirt that was peeking through his halfway opened black leather jacket. His dark hair was a little longer than she had last seen him wear it and sunglasses and a stubble were shadowing his face. His appearance was definitely a sight to behold and not only Emma, but also the nearby women were overwhelmed by his presence. If in awe or in recognition, she had no idea. 

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Emma rummaged through her purse to find the badge, before looking up again in his direction. Richard was standing in the midst of all those people, his gaze wandering around uncertainly. Just before Emma could start walking towards him, his eyes found hers and even despite the sunglasses, Emma could feel the intensity emanating from them. Her attempt to set one foot in front of the next was stopped by his gaze, still firmly locked on hers, as a slow smile started to spread on his face. Suddenly, the world around Emma seemed to disappear, every sound and person ceasing to exist, except for him and her. As quickly as the moment engulfed her, however, it was over again, and both of them started walking towards each other at the same time. 

“Hello, Mr. Armitage. My name’s Emma Meyer and I’m here to pick you up,” Emma rambled, waving her badge between them. The second the words left her mouth she wanted to shoot herself for such a shabby and awkward welcome. The smile on his lips spread as he took off his glasses.

“Hello, Emma, it’s really nice to meet you,” Richard said, extending his hand to her. “But please call me Richard. I know I’m old but let us not make me sound even older, yah?”

“Richard it is then. But I do have to object about the age thing,” Emma said with a careful smile, finally returning the gesture and reaching for his extended hand. A current of warmth and recognition spread through her when she felt the touch of his strong, yet gentle hand.

“So, you are my driver then?”

“So to speak, yeah. Under normal circumstances Gary, our professional driver would have picked you up but he’s sick, so I’m here to jump in. You might wanna remember my face though because I’ll be your shadow for the next couple of days.” Richard looked at her with a raised eyebrow, the amusement never leaving his eyes.

“Okay, that probably came out entirely wrong. I’m not crazy nor do I possess any stalker-ish tendencies, I promise. What I meant is that I’ll be your assistant during the convention. If you should ever need anything, just let me know and I’ll get it for you.”

“Anything? Okay, that’s good to know,” Richard replied, still smiling at her.

“For now though, my only job is to get you to the hotel safely. Shall we?”

Nodding, Richard picked up his bag that looked like it would contain a laptop and started moving his trolley suitcase.

“Do you need a hand with that?” Emma asked but was rewarded with a low and deep chuckle, a sound she couldn’t remember ever having heard from him before. Turning his head towards her, Richard’s eyes sparkled.

“Thank you, I really appreciate you asking that but no. I would never let a lady carry my luggage,” he simply replied, walking on. Emma’s heart started to flutter at the notion of him calling her a lady. She had always believed Richard to be a gentleman judging on the things he said and did but to actually get to see it for herself in real life, it just made her like him even more.

With a poor attempt at awkward small talk about the weather and the flight, Emma tried to cover the way to the car, both evidently feeling a little uncomfortable in the current situation. After Richard had stored his two bags in the trunk of the car, they both got in and started their way back to the city.

“Do you want to know a secret about me? But you have to promise not to tell anyone,” Richard said after a couple of minutes of silence.

“I promise you right in this second that everything that is said between you and me will stay right there. I know that you have no reason to trust me on that, seeing as we’ve only just met but I just wanted to let you know,” Emma promised truthfully, though a little embarrassed about the uncontrollable rambling. Again, Richard laughed and Emma decided right then and there that it was her new favorite sound in the world and that she would try everything in her might to make him laugh as much as possible during the upcoming days.

“Sorry. Usually I have my brain-to-mouth-filter under better control. But somehow the words are just spilling out today.”

“Don’t you worry about that, my dear. It is rather enchanting I have to admit. And I promise you the same, of course,” Richard replied, looking at Emma. Emma in return moved her eyes from the street to Richard for just a second, smiling at him.

“So, which ominous secret are you going to entrust me with?” Another deep rumbling sound erupted from his chest before he turned serious again.

“The worst part about my job is the constant need for small talk. If I could change one thing it would be that,” he said openly.

“Yeah, I can definitely understand that. I guess I have to apologize for the awkward moment back at the airport then. It’s just… I’m only getting better with people once I get to know them…”

“Blimey! No no, I didn’t mean it like that. I think that for first meetings ours was quiet the memorable one. I just meant that in a general sense. And the whole small talk part is all on me really. Since I don’t like to talk about my personal affairs in public, idle talk is most of the times inevitable. It is just a part that I really do not like. In my opinion, there is nothing more satisfying than a deep and serious conversation, shared over a delicious meal and a glass of white wine,” Richard explained, trying to ease Emma’s concerns. “And I totally understand you. Private-me often feels just like you upon meeting new people. But since we are going to be spending some time together, I want you to feel totally comfortable and at ease with me. So I reckon we should definitely revise this situation of not knowing each other, don’t you think? Tell me who Emma is.”

Emma was so caught up in listening to Richard’s voice that it took her a moment to realize that it was her turn to speak. Probably taking the moment of silence as a sign of him overstepping some boundary, Richard quickly added: “Only if you want to, of course.”

“Of course, I do. Hmm… But where do I start?” Emma tried to think of what to say about herself that could possibly be of interest for him.

“With your birth? That’s always a good place to start,” Richard said matter-of-factly. This time it was Emma who had to laugh, feeling flattered by his interest in her.

“Okay… Well, I was born on the 30th of January, 1988, in a small town near Munich. After going through the different kinds of schools we have here in Germany, I graduated in 2008 with something similar to the British A levels. Since I got my A levels with a little detour, which was quiet exhausting, I had enough of sitting in school all day for a little while and so I started an apprenticeship to become a banker. After finishing the training two years later, I went to college and got my Bachelor of Arts in Business Studies with a focus on international and cultural matters. I graduated about one and a half years ago and started to work at a company that is building windmills and solar plants. I’m the personal assistant of my boss and together we’re responsible for the financing of these projects. I still live in Munich, in a little flat at the outskirts of the city,” Emma tried to sum up her life as quickly as possible as not to bore Richard with any lengthy layout of her school career.

“Consider me impressed, Emma. You seem to be on the right track of becoming a really successful business woman in the near future,” Richard mused and his voice was full of interest and approval.

“I don’t know… I mean, it’s been quite the ride so far but I don’t see myself in any leading position in the future. I’d be perfectly happy to stay an assistant if it means I can go to work every morning for the next forty years without a bad feeling in my stomach because of possible expectations that a leading position inevitably brings with it. I like my job right now and I love my colleagues. We laugh and we have fun at work. And despite the countless hours of overtime, we still do our job with joy. I can’t imagine how it could get any better than this. Of course, I’ve only been at that company for one and a half years, so my opinion might change some time in the future, but right now I just don’t see it. Plus, for me, success is not measured by the kind of job you have but by how happy that job and all the other choices in your life make you,” finished Emma, bringing the car to a stop. 

The traffic jam before her gave her a fleeting moment of time to look at Richard, who was already gazing back at her. Something that Emma couldn’t quiet name sparkled in his bright, blue eyes. 

“And you are really only 27?” Richard asked curiously. Emma was taken off guard not only by the fact that he had listened to the detail of her date of birth but also because he had already done the math on her age.

“I swear, listening to the way you speak and what you say, you sound as if you were ten years older.”

Emma, still having her eyes locked on him, raised an eyebrow. “Uhm… I take that as a compliment, I guess.”

“As it was intended to be,” Richard agreed, nodding. “May I ask you what you meant by taking your A levels on a detour?”

And with that the rest of the drive was spent by Emma trying to explain the very complex German school system, mentioning the different kinds of schools, how you could earn your university-entrance diploma in various ways than just the conventional one and telling him in more detail of her very own school career. By the time Emma finished her story and answered Richard’s many questions, she had parked the car in the underground parking lot of the hotel.

“This way,” Emma said as she led the way to the elevator and ultimately to Claudia and Mary. At the thought of the two of them, as much as she loved them, she felt a pang of jealousy deep within her chest. Emma was not ready yet to let go of Richard and would have loved to spend some more time with him. In all of the twenty-seven years of her life had she ever spoken to another person who seemed so interested in the things she did and thought. Who seemed to cling to every word, not only listening but actually soaking everything in, memorizing it. And they hadn’t even talked about the real important things yet, let alone did she have the time to ask anything in return. No, she definitely was not ready to let him go. And yet, that was exactly what she would have to do once she would have dropped him off with Claudia and Mary.

Exiting the elevator on the first floor, Emma went into the direction of where she suspected the organizers to be. A brief look at her watch told her that they would probably already be finished with the appointment with the security agency they had hired for the weekend. Richard walked close to her side, their hands and arms more than once accidentally brushing against each other. Every time it happened, Emma flinched inwardly as hot waves cursed through her body. Every time it happened, she wondered if he felt it, too. _‘Of course not, doofus. That is all just female hormones. Get a grip. Why would he?’_ Emma was glad she could at least always count on that annoying voice in her head.

Arriving at the end of the hallway, Emma knocked on the door of the office. Moments later, Claudia opened it, stepping outside of the room and closing the door behind her again. Claudia’s gaze immediately drifted from Emma to Richard, locking eyes with him. Under her heated and silent gaze, Richards shifted uncomfortably and, as if on instinct, moved a little closer towards Emma’s right-hand side. After no one seemed to want to say anything, Emma cleared her throat. 

“Uhm, Claudia, this is Richard Armitage. Richard, this is Claudia Bauer, one of the two organizers of the convention,” Emma said, introducing them to each other in the hopes of getting them all out of yet another very awkward situation.

“Welcome to Frankfurt, Mr. Armitage! I hope you had a pleasant trip?”

“Hello Claudia, please call me Richard. And yes, the flight was very pleasant indeed. As was the journey to the hotel with this marvelous driver here,” Richard said, his left hand briefly stroking over Emma’s upper back, unmistakably proving who he meant by his words. It took everything Emma had in her not to shiver in earnest as she felt his hand on her in such an intimate gesture. It hit her then that it had taken less than an hour for him to crawl under her skin. Already, Emma was hyperaware to his every movement, to the things he said, the way his voice rose and dropped while speaking, emphasizing certain words and phrases to make his point. 

Standing there next to Richard while he talked business with Claudia, Emma could feel the air around him change. Gone was the gentle, interested and open Richard, replaced by a more collected and closed-off version of him. He wasn’t impolite or arrogant by any means, as Emma knew many individuals to appear who didn't let people too close, and judging from the looks of Claudia, she didn’t even notice the change in his demeanor. Then again, how could she, meeting him there for the very first time? Richard, despite being different in that moment than he had been with Emma before, was still charming as hell.

“Emma? Are you okay with that?” Claudia asked, looking at Emma expectantly.

“Me? Okay with what?” Emma replied confused, trying to suppress the blush that was undoubtedly creeping up her cheeks.

“Are you alright?” Richard asked, concern clearly audible.

“Me? Oh yeah, I’m okay. I was just lost in thought there for a second. And I’m sorry, that was really rude of me.”

“No need to apologize, Emma,” Richard replied but still looked serious.

“I just explained that the security agency was delayed and that they only got here ten minutes ago. That means, I won’t be able to show Richard to his room. Can I, once again, entrust you with one of our tasks? I’m really sorry that I have to keep you from your free afternoon but you know that I wouldn’t ask you if there was any other way,” Claudia repeated apologetically.

“If it is any inconvenience, I think I will be perfectly able to find my way to the room. The hotel is thankfully not all that big,” Richard cut in, trying to not make them feel obligated to babysit him 24/7 the next couple of days.

“Don’t talk nonsense, both of you! I’d be happy to show you to your room, Richard,” Emma replied with a humorous voice.

“Awesome. Here’s the card. The room is on the eighth floor. You just get settled in and we’ll catch up with you as soon as we’re done here, okay?” Claudia said, handing Emma the card.

“Don’t worry about me, Claudia. I will probably just drop off my luggage, take a quick shower and then walk through the city for a little while. Getting some fresh air after I spent the whole day in numerous closed off confinements.”

“That sounds like a good plan. If you need anything or get lost, just call us. You have our cell phone numbers, right?”

"Yes, I have them saved on my mobile."

After having exchanged their goodbyes, Emma and Richard were off to find his room, walking closely side by side as if it was the most natural thing to do. _Has it really just been an hour since they’ve met?_

***

AN: That's it for now... Did you like it? Did you hate it? Should I just stop writing alltogether? :-) 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma. Richard. Talking. Loooots of talking and fluff and talking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, chapter #2. This story will seriously be my death... Then again, I justify writing this piece by it keeping me distracted from my true feelings for a guy I shouldn't have feelings for. So it's a win-win situation for everyone involved. Well... okay, probably only for me but there it is...
> 
> Just to be on the safe side, I want to warn you again that English is not my first language and that this fic is not beta read. I still hope you enjoy reading it and wish you a lot of fun!

_Tuesday, May 12th, 2015_

With a low buzzing sound, the door to room number G-215 unlocked itself. With Emma heading in first, Richard followed closely behind her, almost running into her as she came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the room. Richard tried to figure out what the reason for Emma’s sudden stop was, when he saw her gazing out of the huge glass facade that stretched itself halfway around the room, giving way to the breathtaking view of Frankfurt’s skyline. 

Richard glanced alternately out of the windows and back at Emma, who was still standing in the midst of the room, awe written all over her face.

“This is one of the most breathtaking thing’s I have ever seen,” Emma almost whispered, moving closer to the windows that reached from floor to ceiling. Had she looked back at Richard in that moment, she would have seen how his gaze was firmly on her, when he simply replied: “Yes, me, too.”

After another couple of moments of staring out of the windows, Emma turned around and was finally able to take in the rest of the room, which was equally impressive. In the corner, where the two glass facades met, there was a writing desk, with a fancy looking leather chair. In the opposite corner of the room was a huge and comfortable, cream-colored armchair with a stool in front of it, where one could either enjoy the view of the city or the huge widescreen TV that was hanging from the wall. The king-sized bed was next to the armchair and from that position as well the view through the glass façade would surely be magnificent. Emma could only imagine what it would be like to wake up to that view every morning. Her gaze wandered back to Richard, who was still looking at her in wonder.

“You look like a kid on Christmas morning,” he noted.

“Oh, sorry… I… I’m gonna leave you alone now so you can unpack and do whatever it is you wanna do,” Emma replied, her eyes dropping.

“You keep apologizing and rambling. The latter I find to be a rather charming feature of your personality. But please stop with the apologizing, okay? There is absolutely no need for that. Me saying that you look like a kid on Christmas morning was meant as a compliment. Again. Now I’m either really bad at paying compliments or you are bad at receiving them. What would you say?”

“Hmm… Well, I guess, that could be my fault… But I should really leave now. I’ve taken up too much of your time already by gawking out of the windows,” Emma said, trying to gracefully move around Richard and his luggage towards the door. “Like I said earlier, if you need anything just let me know. Have a wonderful time in Frankfurt, Richard.”

“Emma, wait!” Richard’s deep, baritone voice echoed through the room and down the little hallway, where Emma was already standing and reaching for the doorknob. She turned around, looking back at him questioningly. “How am I supposed to let you know when I need something?” He sounded amused and yet, there was something more to his voice as well. 

Walking back into the room, Emma headed over to the writing desk, pulling pen and paper out of their respective cases. Quickly, she scribbled down her room number as well as her cell phone number. Folding the paper, she handed it to Richard, who had come to stand beside her. As he took the note, their fingers brushed against each other in the slightest of touches. Still, it was enough to send waves of heat through Emma’s body. As if she had burned herself, Emma pulled her hand back. _‘I need to get out of here before I lose myself completely,’_ she just thought, looking up into Richard’s ocean-like eyes. 

“There’s my room number and my cell phone number on it.”

“Thank you! Hey, are you okay?”

“Yeah sure, why are you asking?”

“You seem a little weird right now.”

“Okay, that wasn’t a compliment. And if it was, then it’s definitely you who is bad at paying compliments,” Emma sounded serious but her lips started to move upwards in a small smile. Richard in return laughed and Emma wished she could record the sound.

“Touché. But seriously, is everything okay with you?”

“Yes, it seriously is. I just feel really stupid for barging into your room like that, staring out of your windows when the polite thing would have been to just leave and give you some privacy. So I’m really sorry for that and now I’m definitely leaving.”

Emma was about to turn around, when his long fingers wrapped around her wrist, holding her back.

“Have I given you, at any moment of the last couple of minutes, any reason to believe that I did not want you here or that I felt uncomfortable?” Richard wanted to know, his grip on her not loosening one bit. How the atmosphere had turned from light and playful to serious and intense in just milliseconds, Emma had no idea. All she knew was that he was too close, too warm, too strong, too gentle and his eyes too probing, for her to form any coherent thought at all.

“N… No. No, you haven’t. But still… I totally lost my manners and that shouldn’t have happened. I’m more professional than that. So yeah, I’m really sorry…”

“Emma… If you apologize one more time, I swear to God…”

Instead of saying anything more they just kept staring at each other, for how long, neither could tell. They were only pulled out of their spell, when a loud beeping sound rang out of Richard’s bag.

“That’s definitely my cue to go now. Bye, Richard!”

***

Only when she had returned to her own room and the door was closed behind her, did the fog in her head clear. Whatever just happened back in Richard’s room was _not_ good. It was definitely not supposed to be happening. Not like that. Not with him. And especially not so quickly. Emma leaned back against the closed door, a deep and heavy sigh escaping her throat. In her head, Emma tried to count back the days to her last period. Maybe it really was just hormones after all?

Whatever _it_ was, Emma needed to calm down. Quickly. Taking off her clothes, she threw them on the bed before disappearing into the bathroom for a much needed, cold shower.

***

An hour later, Emma was lying on her bed with her worn out edition of _The Hobbit_ novel in her hand. After minutes of reading the same passage over and over again, she snapped the novel shut and threw it on the nightstand beside her with a loud thud. The initial giddiness and nervousness was thankfully gone and Emma felt even more embarrassed now for acting like some crazy, star-struck fan. Instead, those feelings from earlier were replaced by a deep inner restlessness. 

Emma grabbed for her cell phone to text her best friend Susanne, hoping that maybe updating her on everything that had happened might ease the inner stress, when suddenly her phone started ringing, announcing an incoming text message.

_** Do you have any plans for the remaining afternoon and evening? RA **_

“Holy shit… What is that man doing to me?” Emma whined and wanted to hit herself at the same moment for starting to talk to herself now. She pulled out the pillow from under her head and put it on her face. Maybe if she hid away under the pillow, all those feelings would go away? Lying there like that for a few moments, Emma finally threw the pillow away when the lack of oxygen became an issue. 

“For God’s sake, Emma. You will calm down now. And then you are going to get your feelings under control. You have absolutely no idea who the guy is, except for those tiny information you found on the internet. What you feel is not real. Grow up and then reply to him. Do you understand me?”

Taking a deep breath, Emma picked her cell phone up again.

  
_** So far, I’m totally plan-less. Any suggestions ;) ? Emma **_

_** Clinging to my plan to get some fresh air. Would really love to have some company. Preferably yours. RA **_

_** I guess that can be arranged :) beware though, after that car drive earlier today it’ll be your turn on the hot seat, mister. Emma **_

_** Feel free to ask me ANYTHING ;) Meet me in the lobby in fifteen? Richard **_

_** Are you flirting with me? See you in the lobby in fifteen. Emma **_

Richard didn’t reply to her last message but Emma still felt better for asking it. Whatever this thing was that’s been going on between them, Emma felt that it was better to call it by its name than tiptoeing around it and maybe ending in yet another awkward situation. She had had enough of them that day to last her for a lifetime.

After Emma successfully tamed her hair, she changed from her grey jogging pants into a pair of jeans and threw on a new, white t-shirt that she pimped with a blue/white, plaid scarf. Grabbing her blue cardigan, that perfectly matched her jeans and the scarf as well as her purse, she made her way downstairs to the lobby.

Looking around, Emma had to discover that Richard wasn’t there yet. She went over to the lounge near the entrance of the hotel where she would be able to see Richard when he came. Sitting down in one of the comfortable chairs, Emma, for the first time, really had time to take in the impressive lobby. The building was open all the way up to the top floors, the glass roof making it possible to look directly into the sky. Three glass elevators in the middle of the hotel connected the different floors. Next to the elevators and opposite of the lounge, where Emma was sitting, was the reception that was currently unoccupied. Adjacent to it was a beautiful, colorful tree formed out of glass and behind the reception and all around the lobby hang black and white pictures of people, buildings and nature. Direct and indirect lightening on the walls bathed the space in a warm and glowing ambience. On a little pedestal next to the lounge were a bar and a piano, on which an elderly looking man just turned the pages for a new song. Only moments later, the pianist started playing Ludovico Einaudi’s _Nuvole Bianche_ , funnily enough one of Emma’s favorite pieces. Emma closed her eyes, letting the soothing tunes of the song wash over. As always, the song sparked a longing and hope deep within her, she could just never figure out for what. 

“Please, never lose the ability to enjoy such simple things as a view out of the window or a piano piece the way that you do it. That kind of silent enthusiasm with which you do it is remarkable.”

At the sound of Richard’s deep and sensitive voice, Emma’s eyes snapped open. Smiling up at him, she couldn’t help but feel the same warmth and recognition spread through her like it did only hours before. This time around however, her head felt clearer and the nervousness from earlier was almost entirely gone as well.

“I will try my best,” Emma finally replied after a short moment. Still sitting, she dared letting her eyes swiftly scan over his body. He had changed into another pair of light blue jeans and a dark sweater. Peeking out around his throat was the collar of an equally black button-down shirt. In his one hand, he held his black leather jacket that she’d seen on him earlier that afternoon.

“Ready to leave?” Richard asked and extended his hand towards her to help her up.

Emma linked her hand with his and let him pull her up, trying her best to ignore the feeling that gesture stirred in her. No, she would not revel in those feelings now nor get confused by them. She would be cool and chipper and show Richard that there was more to her than some crazy, awkward tendencies. And so, together, they made their way out of the hotel and into the fresh air of a city that only so just waited to be discovered.

***

“I have absolutely no idea where we are going,” Emma said after a little while. They had been walking for at least an hour, so caught up in conversation that they had totally lost their way. Emma had stayed true to her word and tried to find out as much about Richard as she could without being too noisy, being proud for staying clear-headed and normal all the way through it. While at first, it probably did sound more like an interview than anything else, after only a couple of minutes, the conversation flowed easily. They learned more about each other, about their lives, about their daily routines, about what they liked and what they didn’t like.

After another couple of minutes of walking and of rounding several buildings, they came to the shore of the Main. Despite it being a rather warm and sunny spring afternoon, the temperature dropped considerably the closer they got to the water. As goose bumps ran down Emma’s arms, she slipped on the cardigan she had so far been wearing in her hands. Richard, who noticed the trouble Emma was having with coordinating getting the piece of clothing on while also holding on to her bag, assisted her by holding the blue garment in the right angle for her to slide her arms in.

“Thank you,” Emma replied, once again taken aback at Richard’s attentiveness. Richard, returning her gaze, simply smiled.

“You don’t have to thank me for that. It goes without saying.”

“Sadly, you seem to be a dying breed.”

“What do you mean?” Richard asked, his eyes studying her as they kept walking along the river.

“Well, for one, there aren’t many gentlemen left who help women into their jackets or hold doors open for them. I know that we live in a world of emancipation and gender equality and I’m all for it but just because women are no longer dependable on men taking care of them doesn’t mean we don’t like to be looked after occasionally. And also in a general sense I find that many people seem to lose their manners these days… Not even to mention those younger generations who most of the times don’t even know how to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ any longer. Sometimes, thinking about it, I get really scared if I imagine bringing a child of my own into this world,” Emma explained, watching the water as it rushed by them.

“To the second part I can wholeheartedly agree. It is rather discomforting to think that these young people are the ones who are going to run our companies and countries in the future. I mean, I don’t want to generalize that statement because there are still enough intelligent, open-minded and uncorrupted individuals out there. But you are right, their numbers are sadly dropping.”

“And that is really sad if you ask me. The thing is it already starts with the simple things. Last weekend I went to run some errands and had to take the bus for it. On my way home, the bus got fuller and fuller and halfway in, an elderly couple entered. Do you think that any of the younger people occupying seats would have gotten up to offer them to the couple? I had to kick the guy next to me to get him to stand up and let me out so that I could make room for these two people.”

“You actually kicked a guy? Do I have to be careful then with what I do and say the next couple of days?”

A laughing Emma replied: “Oh yeah, you better do, Mister, because I can get quiet feisty. You wouldn’t want to see me like that.” Emma eyed Richard, who was looking at her curiously. “Okay, that probably would have sounded a lot more convincing if I hadn’t laughed, right? But to answer your other question: I didn’t actually kick the guy from the bus. But I did have to nudge him with my elbow because he had earphones in and didn’t hear what I was saying. I am all against violence. Except if someone asks me to become a little rougher, of course.” Emma winked at him before returning her eyes to the way before them.

“Oh… So there are situations where you like it rough? Did I get that right?”

“Hah! Wouldn’t you like to know... Want me to show you?” Her green and his blue eyes met again with a new kind of intensity to it.

“Emma Meyer, are you flirting with me?”

“Since you didn’t answer that question earlier, I do not feel inclined to answer yours now.” Richard only chuckled at that, the smile on his lips lighting up his whole face. _‘Shit… How the heck am I supposed to survive that for a freaking whole weekend,’_ was all that Emma kept thinking.

After a couple of minutes of walking silently next to each other, they came to a welcoming looking, brilliantly lit houseboat. On the top deck and around the first and second floor were countless of tables and chairs, most of them already occupied by guests. 

“Would I be pushing my luck if I were to ask you to have dinner with me? I know that I have already taken up a lot of your time so if you don’t want to that would be perfectly understandable,” Richard asked as they came closer to the boat.

“I would love to have dinner with you,” Emma replied honestly, smiling nervously up at him. 

Over a little runway, they came to the entrance of the houseboat/restaurant. Richard placed his hand on the small of Emma’s back to lead her over the threshold and onto the boat. At first, the slightly wavy underground made it difficult for Emma to keep her balance but in a heartbeat, Richard’s hand slipped from her back around to her waist, pressing her closer against him and steadying her. With her 5’6’’ she fitted perfectly against his side, his arm protectively wrapped around her form. The feeling of having him so close to her, the sensation of his hard and strong body, his warmth and the scent of soap and aftershave that was radiating from him almost made Emma dizzy all over again. 

Emma almost missed the waiter that walked up to them and started to talk to them.

“Guten Abend und Willkommen im _Frankfurter Bootshaus_. Wir freuen uns, Sie als Gäste begrüßen zu dürfen. Darf ich Ihnen einen Tisch anbieten?”

Before Emma had time to react or to translate, Richard was already speaking again.

“Sorry, but I don’t speak German. Could we maybe switch to English, please?”

“Yes, of course, sir. Welcome on board of the _Frankfurter Bootshaus_. We are happy to have you as our guests tonight. May I offer you a table?”

“That would be very kind. We need a table for two, please?”

“Of course, sir, please follow me.”

Richard loosened his grip around Emma and returned his hand to the small of her back, leading her in front of him as they followed the waiter all the way up to the top deck where he showed them to a table at the back of the boat. Instead of sitting down, Richard went around to Emma’s side of the table to pull out the chair for her. Only when she was seated, did Richard take his seat opposite of her.

Richard ordered a bottle of Chardonnay for them that the waiter brought only moments later. “Did you already decide on your dinner?”

“No, we would need a few more minutes, please,” Richard said politely and the waiter moved away.

“Any suggestions for someone who has only had a couple of dinners in Germany before?”

“Hmm… I don’t really know your taste so I have no idea what you like and what you don’t like…”

“When it comes to eating, I have no certain preferences. Yes, there are things that I prefer eating over others but if it comes down to it I can find enjoyment in every meal.”

“Okay, so not picky. That’s good to know. Well, in that case, a rather typical German dish would be the roasted fillet of beef with fried onions on top and chipped potatoes or fries on the side. But since you can have fries everywhere and all the time, I’d suggest you try the chipped potatoes. I mean, it’s not haute cuisine, but it tastes delicious if it’s done right.”

“That does sound very delicious indeed.”

“Another alternative would be the ‘Schnitzel’ of course. It’s usually more common in the area where I’m from but you can order it in pretty much every German restaurant. A real Viennese Schnitzel is a breaded escalope of veal. Usually it’s served, again, with fries or chipped potatoes.”

“If that dish is from your area, I want to try it.”

“Well you know, it’s not directly from where I live but just really common in the Southern part of Germany as well as Austria. But yeah, you should definitely try it, it really is delicious.”

“What are you going to have?”

“I think I’ll take the mixed salad with grilled salmon, pine nuts and honey-mustard dressing.”

“Sounds like a good choice. Now, having decided that, we should definitely toast on this beautiful evening. Cheers, Emma,” Richard said, raising his glass.

“Cheers,” Emma replied, clinking glasses with him. 

Shortly after that, the waiter came around again and Richard ordered, before Emma had any chance to speak for herself: “For the lady here, we’d like to have the mixed salad with grilled salmon and the honey-mustard dressing. And for me the Schnitzel with chipped potatoes, please.”

“Very well. Thank you for the order.”

***

While they waited for dinner to be served, they talked some more about each other. Emma told Richard about her life in Munich, how she actually hated living in such a big city because there were just too many people. She explained that it wasn’t even the big city that irked her but the people who lived there who had lost all respect, shoved each other through the shops and were in a constant state of stress. Emma continued that that behavior was one of the reasons why she had moved to the outskirts of town about two years ago. In return, Richard told her about his split time between living in London and New York. How he loved both cities for different reasons but also found parallels (for example the multicultural aspects of both cities) that made it easier for him to live in two places at once. When he told her however that he longed to have a place that he could truly call his home, he turned more serious and Emma could see in his eyes that the subject really troubled him.

“I can totally understand you. Those two years when I was working at the bank in Nuremberg, I lived there during the week but on the weekends I always came back to Munich to live with my parents and to see my friends. I always had that feeling that I wasn’t really home at either place because I knew every time that I’d have to leave again soon. But being in your job it must be even worse, I guess, seeing as you often travel around the world for a longer period of time.”

“That’s exactly it. I never have time to really feel at home, no matter where I am. And that is becoming very tiring, to be honest. I’ve seen the most beautiful apartments and even more beautiful hotel rooms. I’ve slept in some beds that felt like heaven. I’ve met many exciting people and have friends in all different parts of the world. But deep within me, I just really have that longing for having one place that I can truly call my home.”

“I really hope that you will find that very soon. If it helps you, I do still have that same feeling as well. I mean, I have my own place and I’m there all the time. It definitely should feel like home… and yet, I still have that feeling that I’m not there yet… that something is still missing for my heart and mind to really settle down for good.”

“What do you reckon that something might be?” Richard asked curiously, taking another sip from his wine, while his eyes never left hers.

“I don’t know… I mean… I guess I’m just missing that certain someone with whom I can truly build my home with. To know that someone will actually be _at home_ when I get back from work. Or to know that I get home before that person to welcome him with dinner. I guess I’m missing the reason to actually have a home. So far, my apartment is just a place I go to to have a roof over my head.”

“So… that means there is no special someone in your life right now?”

“Well, I have a lot of special people in my life. But not the kind of special with whom I would want to build my home and future together. What about you?”

“No special someone for me either. I couldn’t burden any woman with my kind of lifestyle. I wouldn’t want to force a woman to constantly move between London and New York for me, nor would I want her to have to spend so much time without me by having her stay at just one place,” Richard explained and the sadness was clearly audible in his voice.

“But maybe you would just need a reason to go home to as well? Maybe then you wouldn’t feel so torn anymore? Sure, I understand that you would still have to travel a lot but maybe it would feel different nonetheless?”

“Hmm… There might be something to it, yes. Then again, try finding a woman who is content and happy with a man that is often times not at home, has long working hours and just can’t do all the things she could do with a normal man?”

“You are a very normal man, Richard, don’t think otherwise. And a special one at that. Personally, I think any woman would be happy to have your heart. You have great manners, you know how to make a woman feel special, you’re smart and have a great sense of humor. And you’re not too bad to look at either, which I’m sure you know. And I probably sound really stupid right now… What I simply mean is that you just have to find the right woman to accept the whole you. You’re more than the actor who works and travels a lot and doesn’t have as much free time as an ordinary worker for example.”

Richard smiled warmly at her, admiration and awe in his eyes. “You are truly amazing, Emma, and I thank you for saying that. I’m just not sure if there actually are women out there who can make that difference.”

“Oh, believe me, the right one will be able to do that. She will love you with all her heart and cherish those moments that you are able to spend with her. You know the whole ‘what to do with the time that is given to us…’-speech.”

“First, you quoting Tolkien just made me like you even more. Second, how are you so sure about that?”

“Because I would do that. For the right person, that man who captured my heart, body and soul I would gladly pass on the chance of having him around 24/7 if I could just have him at all. Plus, I’m not the type to be glued to her partner anyways. I need my space every now and then to do my own thing. That’s probably the Aquarius in me,” Emma explained, not even caring anymore what she was saying or what Richard might be thinking of her because of it. She just hoped that she could make him at least feel a little bit better about himself and the future. He looked back at her, his eyes still filled with warmth but a new intensity to it.

“I hope me saying this isn’t too presumptuous but if I we wouldn’t be who we are and if I were ten years younger, I would ask you out on a date and I would try my hardest to be that person with whom you could imagine building a home with together.”

Taken aback by Richard’s open and honest words, Emma didn’t really know what to say at first. Was this beautiful, torn, thoughtful and charming man really saying he would go out with her? She returned his intense glance with equal intensity, desperately trying to come up with something meaningful, reassuring or at least witty to say but her mind remained blank.

“I… and I would gladly agree to go out on a date with you. Though I do have to say that the age thing would be an argument that I would not accept. What kind of argument is age anyways? If two people love each other and have the same believes and goals, age doesn’t matter. It only matters if one or both parties let it matter.”

“I….” Richard started but was interrupted by the waiter who was bringing their dinner. Thanking him politely, the waiter wished them both to enjoy their meals and left.

With the waiter, also the intensity of the conversation they had just led was gone. Richard and Emma clinked glasses again before they both started eating, there on that beautiful houseboat, with Frankfurt’s breathtaking skyline once again before them to be marveled at.

“By the way,” Emma started between bites, “we should probably keep this whole having-dinner-thing here between us. I mean with Claudia and Mary… They don’t like it when the personal assistants and their actors bond too much.”

“Why the heck is that? That makes absolutely no sense. Do they even know what makes a good working relationship between any person and his or her assistant?”

“I don’t know… Probably not? They just had some bad experiences after last year, when one of the PAs felt closer to the actor than the other way around and in Claudia’s eyes became a little too stalkerish. So I do kind of understand it, to be honest. Even if not everyone is like that of course. I just don’t want them to freak out if they hear that we went out together…”

“Is that what we are doing? Going out?”

“Uh… No… Sorry… I mean… Talking… Having dinner… Whatever you want to call it…”

“It is really adorable how quickly you become flustered,” Richard said and that finally broke the ice and brought them both back to a more normal level, where they could converse easily, without any heaviness or ambiguity to it.

***

After they finished their meals and the bottle of Chardonnay about two hours later, Richard insisted on paying for dinner, despite Emma’s persisted protests.

“Please, do not argue me on this. When we go out, as a gentleman, I do feel obligated to pay for the lady.”

“I thought we agreed that this wasn’t a date?”

“You agreed on that. I just didn’t object.”

“Okay… This is not a date. But I’m not going to fight you on paying either. Though the next dinner will be on me,” Emma said.

“So there will be a next dinner?”

“I’ll just shut up now… The wine is making me lightheaded and I keep saying stupid things… I’m sorry…” Emma replied immediately, a blush creeping up her face. To Richard, it was a most endearing sight.

“What did I say about you apologizing all the time?”

“Sorry…”

“EMMA!” Richard growled and chuckled at the same time which ended in a funny sound coming out of his throat. In return, Emma had to chuckle, much to Richard’s joy.

The walk back to the hotel, now that they were aiming directly for it, didn’t take quite as long as the walk to the restaurant and they only had to check the map on Emma’s cell phone once. On the way back through the city, they both got themselves some ice cream, which Richard allowed Emma to pay for. They were sitting on a bench near the ice cream shop, chatting about lighter topics, when a gust of wind shot a shiver down Emma’s spine. Mixed with the cold of the ice and the fact that it was almost 11 pm, Emma noticed that she was indeed getting cold. Without having to ask for it or saying anything, Richard removed his leather jacket and hung it around Emma’s shoulders. His warmth and scent were everywhere, melting directly into her very core, ensuring that she would never forget that feeling again. “Thank you… That’s really very considerate of you,” Emma replied shyly.

They finished off their ice cream and only a couple of minutes later they were finally back at the hotel, the lobby being almost empty except for the two concierges at the reception and a group of five Asian looking women close to the bar, their drinks almost empty.

Putting his hand on the small of her back again, Richard led her over to the elevators. It was only a brief touch but it was enough to make Emma shiver, despite still having Richard’s jacket around her. She didn’t know if he noticed it or not but if he did he didn’t comment on it and Emma was too cautious all of a sudden to look up.

Stepping into the elevator, it was Richard who automatically pressed the button to her floor. _’So he already knows where I’m staying?’_ flashed through Emma’s mind. On the third floor the doors opened and Richard stepped outside with her. 

“It’s already late, Richard. I don’t wanna keep you any longer…” Emma tried, as they started walking the short distance to her room.

“Nonsense. If you haven’t noticed yet, I’m a gentleman and if I go out with a woman, I make sure she gets home safely,” Richard started again, laughing as he knew exactly what it would do to her.

“Seriously, Richard, you have to stop with that gentleman thing. By the end of the week, I’m going to be ruined for all other men out there,” said Emma, trying to sound like she was joking. All of a sudden, Richard’s face turned from a bright grin to seriousness and he didn’t say anything more.

“I… I’m sorry… I didn’t mean that in a rude or insulting way…” Emma tried to counter as his piercing glance was still firmly on her. Something was going on inside of Richard’s head and she would have given pretty much everything she had just to listen in on it. After a couple of short (or maybe they were long) moments, Richard finally spoke.

“No… You don’t have to apologize. I’m sorry. It’s just…”

As Richard didn’t seem to want to continue speaking, Emma carefully asked: “It’s just what?”

“It’s just that… the thought of you with other men is way more maddening than it probably should be at this point,” Richard finally admitted.

“If it eases your mind in any way, the thought of you going out with another woman isn’t all that pleasant either,” Emma replied honestly and without hesitation. Looking at each other, they got caught up in their own little space and time again. They didn’t hear the constant beeping of the elevator just meters away nor the sounds from the lobby that were echoing through the hallway. After an eternity it was Richard’s deep, husky voice whispering: “What is happening to us?” Hadn’t Emma known any better she would have said he sounded overwhelmed, almost scared even. 

To not break the spell, Emma equally whispered back: “I have no idea…”

Taking a deep breath, Richard’s right hand moved up Emma’s arm, leaving a hot trail despite the many layers of clothes between them. Moving further up, his hand cupped Emma’s cheek gently and as if on instinct, Emma leaned into the touch. Involuntarily, the butterflies that undoubtedly had been there all day long finally exploded. Emma was caught between the door to her room and his body and suddenly, breathing became very hard.

“I should probably leave…" Richard mused, leaning down closer to her. He mustered her as he moved closer, trying to gauge a reaction from her. As her big, green eyes looked up at him with so much adoration and longing, it took everything he had in him, to not just kiss her senseless and take her into her room right then and there. Richard could feel the heat radiating from her and felt her breath getting heavier. He knew right then that he could kiss her and that she would let him. But if anything, Richard wanted her to think more of him. Despite her silent approval he didn’t want to push her too far too quickly. He didn’t want to risk that maybe tomorrow, after the alcohol wore off, she’d regret anything they did today. Richard didn’t know why but he just felt that Emma was special and that with her, he wanted to do everything the right way. If the things she had said earlier about love, about relationships and about him were really true, he knew that he couldn’t risk scaring her away. So, changing his mind, his lips moved to her forehead instead of her lips, pressing them gently against her. His hot breath caressed her face and made her feel dizzy once more. To steady herself, Emma’s hand moved up and came to rest against his chest. Richard slowly pulled back, his gaze heated and intense. 

“Thank you for a really lovely evening,” Richard said, moving backwards. Emma’s arm dropped back to her side before he stepped back a little further. At last, his hand left her face and the cold air that suddenly hit her felt like a slap in the face. 

“I have to thank you. It was… unforgettable.”

Richard finally smiled, easing the intense situation. “Will you join me for breakfast tomorrow?”

“Of course, I would love to.”

“9 am? In the lobby?”

“Sounds like a plan to me. Have a good night, Richard. And thank you again.”

“Good night, Emma."

***

Closing the door behind her, Emma once again found herself leaning back against the door. The same thoughts from earlier that day, when she was in the same position after practically fleeing from Richard’s room, consumed her, only that now it felt ten times better. Twenty times worse. Emma frantically tried to find some sense in this whole situation. What the hell was happening with her? She had met Richard less than half a day ago and already she felt closer to him than anyone ever before. Until that day, if any relationship had started to progress too quickly for her taste (and they all did), she always had a flight instinct in her that made her run for the hills, somehow just not being able to let anyone too close. That flight instinct had led to her only having had one meaningful relationship in her twenty-seven years. And even that one wasn’t filled with undying love or passion. It was borne out of panic shortly before she turned twenty, thinking that something was wrong with her. In the end, the only reason that made that relationship meaningful was the fact that he had taken her virginity. A week later she had broken up with him, feeling disgusted with herself. That was seven years ago now. Since then she had dated but never again let anyone that close. If anything, the flight instinct just had become even worse than before. 

Thinking of Richard however, she couldn’t even remember what that flight instinct had felt like in the past. Had any other guy sought that much closeness with her on a first date (and she and Richard didn’t even have a date so far) or tried to kiss her on the forehead (in Emma’s eyes an even more intimate gesture than a real kiss) she would have run for the hills already. The only direction she wanted to run to in Richard’s case was _his_ direction.

Sighing, Emma pushed herself always from the door and got ready for bed. Sleep was a long time to come.

***

Five floors up, Richard was feeling the same yet a different kind of dilemma. As he was taking another shower to cool down and to clear his head, thoughts of Emma consumed him. He felt like a fourteen year old guy, with the naïve and innocent believe that he might have just met the love of his life. Only that he was now forty-three years old and knew better than to believe in something like that anymore. Too often had he been hurt in the past, too often had he given his heart to women who had then decided that his job was a deal-breaker after all. Too often had he believed that this was finally ‘it’, only to have had his heart broken in the process, some of them even telling him that he would never be able to make a woman happy or keep her satisfied. 

And yet, Emma had said all the right things to him and had set at least a couple of the thousand broken pieces of his heart back together. And that made him hope, as he had scarcely believed to hope, that maybe, just maybe there would be the right woman out there for him after all. 

But what good could possibly come from it? In only six days, he had to go back to Ireland to continue working on his latest project. How could one start and establish a relationship over such a distance? How would he even be able to split himself between mit only two but actually three places? Maybe his destiny was to always be torn into many pieces? 

_‘But maybe she is the key to finally put you back together into one piece? Maybe she is your home?’_ the voice in his head kept saying.

Sighing, Richard got out of the shower and went straight to bed. Sleep was a long time to come.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Breakfast, Sightseeing and a Date. Oh. And lots of fluff of course :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the fluff continues... I swear, Richard and Emma are like a train that can't be stopped... I'm trying so hard to slow them down but it just keeps pouring out of me... and them... I'm really sorry :D
> 
> Others than that... this chapter is yet again not beta read but I hope I have caught the worst mistakes.
> 
> Enjoy the next installment!

_Wednesday, May 13th, 2015_

When the alarm went off at 8 am the next morning, Emma blindly grabbed for the source of the noise, groaning. She hit the annoying piece to silence, turning around and burying her face in her pillow. _Wait… Why is there an alarm? Why does my pillow smell differently?_ Like hit by a lightning, she turned around again, opening her eyes, as images of the day before flash through her head.

 _The drive to Frankfurt. Her arrival at the hotel. The meeting with Claudia and Mary. All the other personal assistants. Her running through the airport. Him. Him._ Him.

The butterflies where back in her stomach and seemed to have procreated as Emma remembered that she was going to have breakfast with Richard in just an hour. Checking her cell phone, just to be sure that the day before had really happened, she found the text messages between him and her, smiling as she read through them again. Hopping out of bed, Emma was heading to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

Exiting the bathroom half an hour later, she grabbed for her cell phone again to figure out the current time, only to find that she had one missed call and a text message from Richard. _'Oh no… he had time to think about last night and now wants to cancel…'_

_** Good morning, dear Emma. I hope you had a pleasant night? Would you feel any objections to having breakfast at my room instead of at the breakfast room? Richard **_

Releasing a sigh that Emma didn’t know she was holding, she replied instantly.

_** Sorry for only getting back to you now. Having breakfast at your room sounds delightful. When shall I be there? Emma **_

_** If it’s okay for you I would still suggest 9 am? Richard **_

_** That sounds perfect. I’ll be there at 9 am. Emma **_

_** I can’t wait to see you. **_

Emma’s heart almost burst. _'He couldn’t wait to see me? Last night definitely wasn’t a dream then… There was something going on between us.'_ Sprinting back to the bathroom, she dried her hair, before looking for a fitting outfit for the day. Choosing a pair of grey/silvery pair of jeans, she matched them with a black, short-sleeved blouse and a grey scarf. Black leather flats, with a strap and a silver clasp completed her outfit.

Five minutes before 9 am, she was in the elevator up to the eighth floor. Emma took her time walking down the hallway to Richard’s, knocking at his door at 9 am sharp.

Emma only had to wait for a couple of seconds before the door was opened and a brightly smiling, with eyes happily shining Richard appeared. His slightly wet hair was smoothed back, only a single strand hanging over his forehead. He wore black slacks and a grey polo shirt, its top two buttons open. The shirt clung to his broad shoulders and chest, outlining his well-defined upper-body. He wasn’t overly trained and yet, his body radiated more strength and masculinity than she had ever experienced.

“A wonderful good morning again, Emma,” Richard said, as he stepped aside to let her in.

“Good morning to you, too, Richard,” Emma replied and moved past him into the room. She could feel him only a few steps behind her, as they made their way down the small hallway to the actual room. Sunrays were flooding in from the left-hand side, illuminating the room in a warm and golden light. Outside, the many skyscrapers stood tall and glistened like diamonds. The view was once again breathtaking but Emma pulled her eyes away, not wanting to make a fool out of herself again, despite Richard having said that he found it cute. Emma let her eyes wander through the room only to find out the interior had slightly changed. The writing desk that used to be standing close to the windows was moved to the wall to Emma’s right, in its place now standing a small bistro table, adjoined by two chairs. In the middle of the already set table stood a bouquet of red, yellow and orange flowers and the smell of freshly pressed orange juice floated through the air. Next to the table stood a serving table filled with the most delicious things one could imagine: bread, croissants, bagels, yoghurt, cereals, eggs, sausages, fruits, marmalade, cheese and many other things.

The sound of Richard clearing his throat made her finally look at him again, his eyes once again filled with amusement and wonder. “I revise. You have to stop looking so absolutely adorable when you’re overwhelmed.”

His words made Emma blush once again and an apology was at the tip of her tongue. This time however she held it back, as it was clearly meant as a compliment.

“Thank you, Richard. Not only for the compliment but also this,” Emma said, pointing to the breakfast table.

“Don’t thank me just yet. First, let’s see if it’s any good.”

Walking towards Emma, Richard placed his hand once again on the small of her back, leading her over to the table. Just as the day before, Richard helped Emma to adjust her chair before he sat down himself. 

“I didn’t know what you liked so I ordered a bit of everything,” Richard explained before he filled both their glasses with orange juice. “Do you want some coffee?”

“No, thank you. I’m more of the tea drinking kind of person.” Turning around and getting something from the serving table, Richard held a small selection of tea bags into her direction. Looking at him with an appreciative smile, she chose the wildberry tea whereas Richard took the Earl Grey.

“No coffee for you either?”

“I’m more of the tea drinking kind of person,” Richard replied, winking at her. “Thank you for joining me here for breakfast on such a short notice,” he said and reached across the table, to lie his hand on hers. “I just couldn’t stomach the idea of having to share you with a filled room of loudly chatting people.”

Once again, Emma blushed as her hand burned under Richard’s. “I really love it when you react like that to something I say.”

 _Love_ it.

“And I feel like a teenager for behaving so stupidly… scared that it might chase you way sooner or later.”

At that, Richard’s thumb started drawing small circles on the back of Emma’s hand. “You never have to worry about that, do you understand me? That’s impossible.”

“You say that now… by the end of the week, you’ll be glad when the convention is over and you’re able to leave all this craziness behind.”

“Never _ever_ is that going to happen. But please, let’s not talk about the end of this week yet, okay? The thought of that moment will set me in a foul mood and I don’t want that.”

***

When they finished with breakfast about an hour later, Richard leaned back in his seat, watching Emma as she took the last sip of her orange juice. They had quickly returned to lighter topics, both not wanting to ruin the atmosphere. Richard had told her stories about his time in New Zealand and she had clung to his lips, soaking it all in. If he hadn’t already guessed it by the way she kept looking and listening to him, she revealed shortly afterwards that going to New Zealand was her biggest dream. A dream that he would only gladly try to make come true for her, if she would let him.

After breakfast, they decided to take another stroll through the city, this time with a map to actually get to see any of the sights the city had to offer. On the way to the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the skyscrapers of all the important German banks, they came by a small bookshop called _'The British Bookstore'_. Sure enough, both weren’t really able to pass up that chance and went inside. As they came out again a short while later, they both had each a red bag in their hand, smiling contently. Emma stored their purchases in her purse before they went on with the sightseeing tour. They strolled through the banking district, Richard noting that it slightly felt like walking through New York City. Emma pointed out the tower of the bank she used to work for, which ended in Richard wanting to know everything about her time at the bank. About the things she had learned, the parts she had enjoyed and why she had decided to leave after her training. _‘Yes, I see why selling products to people that they don’t need wouldn’t go well with your conscience. You are way too good for a job like that.’_ They continued on to the _Roemerberg_ , the historic part of the city. They spent a small eternity there, looking at all the different buildings and taking a tour through the town hall. They visited Paul’s Church and learned that it was the first historic building that was rebuilt after it had been completely destroyed in the Second World War. After that, they had a delicious lunch at _‘MainNizza’_ , sitting outside in the sun, just enjoying the view, the conversation and each other. There was no flirting nor any dirty jokes or innuendos, as they learned more about each other, just becoming more comfortable around the other. Richard and Emma never seemed to run out of topics to talk about, be it serious conversations about the divorce of Emma’s parents or funny conversations about embarrassing incidents on set of _The Hobbit_. After they were finished with lunch, which Richard insisted on paying for once more, they decided to go to the zoo. They admired the vastness of the area and how beautifully each compound was constructed and designed. There was a large number of different animals, some breeds being held together while others were kept separately. When they came to the compound of the meerkats, Emma thought she’d have to turn into a puddle of goo at the cuteness of them, especially after spotting the small, two months old meerkat brothers. 

The afternoon flew by in a heartbeat and by 5 pm they had returned to the hotel, both exhausted from walking around so much but equally happy and euphoric. Standing in front of Emma’s room once more, they got ready to say goodbye. 

“That was amazing. I would never have thought that Frankfurt had so much to offer,” Emma gushed, still totally high on the sight of so many cute animals at the zoo.

“It has indeed. I really had a very joyful time, thank you for that, Emma.”

“You are very very welcome.” Emma replied, smiling brightly at him as she was taken aback once again how close she felt to him. It sill surprised her how she could build such a strong connection with a man so quickly, when only weeks prior to that day the thought of something like that happening felt like an iron fist around her heart, making her run for the hills.

“If this is too much, please say so… But I was wondering… After that none-date yesterday and just spending the whole day on a none-date… I… may I officially ask you out on a real date tonight?” Richard asked and the slight shyness in his voice almost melted Emma’s heart. How could she ever say no to that, even though she knew that down the road this whole thing could only end in a broken heart on her part. Because where was this supposed to lead? How was this ever supposed to work out? Pushing aside those dark thoughts, she looked up at Richard, smiling shyly back at him.

“Yes, Richard, of course, you may.”

Richard let out a heavy breath upon her reply.

“Were you actually doubting my answer to that? I already told you yesterday that I would say yes if you were to ask me out. Though I am curious… What has changed since then? You said that you’d only ask me out if we weren’t us and if you were ten years younger…”

“You successfully took my doubts concerning the age difference for now. As for us not being us… I came to realize that you and me… that it’s perfect just the way it is. I like you. You make me feel good and you make me smile. I can’t remember the last time I’ve laughed so much… probably never. My facial muscles are already burning from overstraining them. And I love it. I haven’t felt so good in a very long time and I really want to see where this could lead us.”

“You know… you make it really hard for a woman not to fall for you when you talk like that.”

Richard looked at her surprised, his icy blue eyes piercing into hers. _'Was she falling for him?'_

“I… I didn’t mean that I was falling for you… just that in general it’s hard not to… I mean, it’s getting harder for me not to because you are so special and you equally make me feel better than anyone ever before. It just feels… good. Sometimes I think it’s too good to be true and that I’m going to wake up from this dream any second now. Is this a dream, Richard?”

Still watching her in awe, he took her hand in his, looking deeply into her eyes.

“It most definitely is not. We’re in this together and we’ll just take it one day at a time, okay? No rush, no pressure. We’ll just do what feels right, yah?”

“Okay, that sounds good to me.”

As a reply, he brings their joined hands up to his mouth and breathed a soft kiss over the back of her hand. 

“Will it be okay for you if I pick you up at seven?”

“Yes, that will be perfect. What are we going to do?” Emma asked curiously.

“That will be a surprise. Just wear something nice,” Richard replied mischievously.

“Okay, I’ll be ready at seven then.”

“See you in a little while.” And with another gentle kiss to her hand and a piercing gaze into her eyes that went straight to her core, he was gone.

***

When the knock came at 7pm, Emma’s heart rate involuntarily sped up. Checking herself in the mirror one last time, smoothing down her black, knee-length skirt and rearranging the black cardigan that she had buttoned up over her blue blouse, she decided that she had done the best that she could with her limited amount of clothes.

Emma went over to the door and opened it to a once again smiling Richard, holding a bouquet of red roses. His blue eyes sparkled, as he handed her the flowers. Emma was so overwhelmed by the gesture and asked herself how she had possibly deserved to meet such an incredible human being.

“Wow… you look beautiful,” Richard simply said, his smile even brighter.

“Thank you! You don’t look so bad yourself either, Mister,” Emma replied, letting her eyes roam over his body. He wore another, slightly different pair of black slacks, with a white button-down shirt and a black tie around his neck. His black leather jacket hung over his crooked arm.

“Come in, I’m almost done. And don’t mind the mess. Usually, I’m the cleanest person on this planet… But I went into a little frenzy, trying to find the perfect outfit… And I just couldn’t figure out what you meant with ‘something nice’ so I just tried on everything I had brought with me. I hope the outfit is okay for what you have planned?”

“God, you are so cute when the words just keep flowing out of you.”

“Compliment or no compliment?”

“Definitely compliment,” Richard chuckled as he watched Emma putting the flowers into a makeshift vase and afterwards throwing her cell phone and lip gloss into her purse.

“Thank you then,” Emma replied, taking her coat and her purse, coming to stand right in front of Richard. “Seriously… thank you. For everything. When did you even have time for all of this?” Emma asked, pointing at the bouquet of flowers.

“I have my ways,” said Richard and winked at her.

“It’s perfect. You are perfect,” Emma replied, brushing her hand swiftly over Richard’s arm. 

“What can I say. I just have a perfect inspiration. Shall we go then?”

“Yes, absolutely.”

A dark silver Bentley Mulsanne was already waiting in front of the hotel and brought them straight to their destination, the _‘Maintower Restaurant’_. After the ascent with the elevator all the way up to the top, a waitress greeted them, taking their coats. She led them both to a table directly at the windows, presenting them with the most beautiful view of the slowly sinking sun over the city.

“This is amazing… How did you do that? On such a short notice? I bet this restaurant is fully booked for at least four weeks,” Emma mused as she got comfortable on her chair, Richard once again helping her adjust it.

“It usually is, yes. But I was lucky and a group cancelled last minute so they gave me the table. And it’s one of the best tables at that. Or at least so the owner had said. I hope you like it,” Richard said, almost sounding a little shy.

“Like it? I love it! No one has ever done something like that for me,” Emma explained and couldn’t suppress her cheeks from heating up.

“What do you mean?”

“Everything. A guy formally asking me out, picking me up, bringing me flowers, taking me to a fancy dinner… This is all new to me. And I know that sounds weird coming from a twenty-seven year old… But yeah… It just never happened…”

“But… but you have been with other men, haven’t you? If I may ask that, of course.”

“Of course. You can ask me anything and I will always try to answer… As for that last question… Yeah, I’ve dated some guys… But I only had one serious relationship. Though I’m not entirely sure that ‘serious’ and ‘relationship’ are necessarily the words I would use to describe what that was. More like a last-minute panic.”

“What does that mean exactly?” Richard asked carefully, his words sounding gentle and encouraging.

“Well… shortly before I turned twenty, with no real relationship to look back at, I got slightly scared that something might be wrong with me because – if at all – I only fell in love with the wrong guys. First with a teacher of mine, then with my best friend’s boyfriend, who was off limits, of course. And then there was Charlie and he was nice enough but I never fell in love with him. I tried to make it work, did all the things a good girlfriend does… but it just didn’t work out. And in the end, I broke up with him. So yeah… this is a premiere… and I’m enjoying every second of it,” Emma told him, while absentmindedly looking out of the window.

“I’m really glad that you do. If you are happy, I am happy.” Emma returned her gaze to Richard, smiling warmly at him.

Richard and Emma enjoyed a delicious three course dinner, with in depth conversation, full-bodied white wine and soothing piano background music. They watched in comfortable silence as the sunset turned the sky into a flaming red color, before falling back into easy conversation. After they were finished with dessert, a lemon sorbet and a brownie on a mango carpaccio, Richard excused himself for a couple of minutes, only to return with an impish smile.

“Are you ready to leave?” Richard asked, not even sitting down anymore but holding his hand in Emma’s direction instead.

“But… don’t we have to pay first?” Emma asked, looking up into his melting blue eyes.

“Got it all covered. Up up, I want to show you something.”

Taking his extended hand, Emma let herself be pulled up by Richard, who held on to her hand for just a second longer than it might have been necessary. With his hand then moving to the small of Emma’s back, he led them back to the entrance, where their waitress was already waiting for them with their coats in her arms. Always the gentleman, Richard helped Emma putting on her coat before he slipped into his own. Saying their goodbyes to the waitress, they both left the restaurant through the elevator.

“That waitress girl was totally checking you out,” Emma noted, trying to sound nonchalantly. 

“Was she?”

“Oh yes… She was.”

“I haven’t noticed that…”

“Yeah… I bet you’re probably just used to it by now,” Emma said, nudging him playfully with her elbow.

“That is definitely something I will never get used to because I really just don’t get it. And since it always makes me feel awkward, I try to just ignore these looks,” Richard explained just as the door of the elevators open at the ground floor.

Stepping outside into the fresh air, a tall guy with cycling tights and a helmet, who stood next to a bicycle-taxi, waved at them. Walking in his direction, the driver smiled at the pair, motioning them to take place at the back of the taxi.

“If we were in London or New York, I would have organized a carriage... but apparently they don’t have them in Frankfurt so I had to get the next best thing, sorry,” Richard said apologetically.

“Don’t you dare apologize for that! This… is simply amazing. I know that I keep saying that but this truly is perfect. Definitely the best first date I have ever had. Thank you, Richard,” Emma replied, turning her head to look at him. Since there wasn’t much space in the bicycle-taxi, they were pushed against each other, with Richard’s arm resting behind her on the backrest. Their faces were only centimeters away from each other as they stared into each other’s eyes.

“You’re very welcome, Emma. Coming here, I never would have thought that something like this might happen. Thank you for restoring my faith. I can not thank you enough for that,” Richard said sincerely.

“I don’t know what kind of faith I have restored but I’m glad that I could give you that. Even though that’s just a small payment for all the feelings and moments and memories you have given me so far.”

“No… that is not just a small payment. It’s _everything_. You made me believe again that happiness and relationships might be in my future after all. I had given up on that hope a long time ago.”

“I… you are a very special person, Richard. Of course you will find all that again. Do not ever doubt that.”

Instead of saying anything more, Richard placed his free hand on top of Emma’s, letting them rest on her thigh. As if she was pulled by a magnet, Emma scooted that tiny little inch closer into his side, as his other arm moved from the backrest to her shoulder. Holding each other like that, there was no more talking as the bicycle took them on a tour through the city, driving by the most important sights that they had also already seen earlier that day, before turning to the shore of the Main. They crossed several bridges during the ride, each one offering a different view on the beautifully lit skyline of Frankfurt. 

After more than one and a half hours, the driver dropped them off at the hotel. Richard handed the guy some money before he drove off, leaving them on the sidewalk alone. They walked into the lobby of the hotel and, seeing as it was more crowded than the night before, they made their way directly to the elevators. Just like the day before, Richard accompanied Emma to her room, coming to halt as they reached their destination.

“So… Tomorrow night, I’m supposed to be at that dinner with the boys and Claudia and Mary…” Richard started.

“Ah yes. I remember,” Emma replied, trying not to sound too disappointed.

“But I thought that maybe until then we could do something together?”

“I would love that. What do you have in mind?”

“I’ll think of something. But to start the day off, will you join me for breakfast at my room again?”

“That sounds perfect.”

Stepping a little closer towards Emma, Richard placed his right hand on her cheek, locking his eyes on hers as Emma moved into the caress. 

As Richard looked into her eyes he marveled at the fact how responsive she was to his every word and movement and touch. He marveled at the fact how open she was, how she let him see right into her soul. He marveled at the fact that the small and tender woman before him could evoke feelings in him that he had scarcely felt before and had believed that he would never feel again. Richard marveled at the fact that after only 36 hours of knowing her, he couldn’t imagine being apart from her ever again. 

As Emma returned the gaze, drowning in his deep, blue eyes and realizing that he was looking right into her soul, she was astonished at the fact that the flight instinct still was nowhere to be felt. She was astonished that she felt more comfortable around him than any other person ever before. She was astonished that she could feel so close to him without even any shred of doubt. Emma was astonished at the fact that even after only knowing him for about 36 hours, she also couldn’t imagine being apart from him ever again.

Moving another inch closer, Richard placed a gentle kiss to Emma’s forehead, his thumb caressing her cheek as he inhaled deeply. The touch lasted just a little longer, the caress feeling just a little too good. Slowly and reluctantly, Richard pulled away, his hand staying in place.

His voice was hoarse as he spoke: “Good night, my dear Emma, and the sweetest of dreams.”

Richard withdrew his hand, never taking his gaze off of Emma. She watched him with hooded eyes, her heart beating at a rate that probably wasn’t healthy anymore.

“Good night, Richard. See you tomorrow morning.”

After another intense moment, in which both fought against their innermost selves, that both wanted nothing more than to just run into each other, Richard finally turned around and moved away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I intended for this chapter to be the posted on Friday so that you all have a nice treat for the weekend... But since I have to go out of town on a short notice now and me not wanting to keep you waiting until Monday, you get this update now :) I really hope that you liked it!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A boat, a walk, a misunderstanding and more fluff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to apologize for the very long delay of this chapter. I took a little trip to LA to attend The One Last Party, which was a blaaaast. Sadly, the preparations for that trip took longer than I expected which ended in me not being able to update before I left. Being back now, updates will come more regularly again.
> 
> Since I want to bring this chapter to you asap, it's once again not beta read but I hope to change that in the near future.
> 
> Have fun and enjoy the next installment :))

_Thursday, May 14th, 2015_

Emma looked around, the sea air brushing over her face as the sun shone down on her and Richard. He was sitting right next to her, his arm once again resting on the backrest behind her. His eyes were closed as he enjoyed the warmth and the light. Emma was looking at him in wonder and silently thanked the powers that be for bringing him into her life, even if it was only for a short amount of time. Closing her eyes herself, Emma’s thoughts drifted back to just a couple of hours before.

The morning had started just as the previous one. Emma had jumped out of her bed in such good spirits that everything that she did just went by in a blur. At 9 am sharp, she had knocked once again on Richard’s door and he had welcomed her with a warm hug. With the difference in their height, Emma’s head had ended up being pressed against his strongly beating heart as she had felt Richard’s head coming to rest on hers. The feeling of his whole body pressed against hers had almost been more than Emma thought she could bear. How she was ever supposed to live without that feeling again was beyond her. After both had regained some control over the emotions cursing through them, they had enjoyed a quick breakfast in the sunlight before Richard had ushered them out of the room. The dark silver Bentley from the day before had picked them up again and brought them to the shore of the Main. After walking for a couple of minutes they had arrived at the harbor, where an excursion boat had already been awaiting them. 

And now they were sitting there on a cruise to Heidelberg, a historic and romantic town down the Main, both of them enjoying yet another day in each other’s company. After another few moments of silence, Richard’s voice brought Emma back to the present time.

“So tell me… what’s going to await me these next couple of days at the convention?” Richard wanted to know and Emma couldn’t help but catch the weariness that sounded through his voice. “I mean I know ComicCon and WonderCon but they’re a lot bigger and didn’t have quite such a familiar atmosphere as this one is supposed to have.”

“Yeah, you are right about that. I think they sold about 800 tickets so it is quite a smaller group than at the conventions you have mentioned. As for what’s going to await you… Well… there’ll be the panels… I mean the Q&As, of course, but also meet and greets with a group of around 15 people, photo shoots with the fans, autograph sessions and a party on Saturday night that you can attend if you want to. There’s going to be a medieval and fantasy market, where you can buy all sorts of stuff. And there’ll also be lectures and discussions about _The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings_ , Tolkien, Middle Earth and other related topics.”

“The last part does sound really interesting. Can I attend these lectures and discussions as well?”

“I guess that will depend on how crazy the fans get, I’d say. Last year, they were all really civilized around the actors, even when they walked freely through the event area. Well, at least most of the time. But this year, you’ll be there and also your two dwarven nephews, so I don’t really know how it’s going to be. I do hope though that they haven’t lost their manners and respect so that you can just walk around without being screamed or jumped at.”

“Dear lord… That is exactly what I wanted to hear to calm my nerves,” Richard replied and sounded even wearier now.

“Sorry… I just wanted to be honest with you… I know that you get uncomfortable in such situations but you will also have many memorable encounters that will make it all worthwhile.”

“Will you be there with me?”

“Well, my job is to take you to your appointments and to make you feel as comfortable as I can. If you want a drink, I’ll get it for you. If you want something to eat, I’ll get it for you. I’m yours to command,” Emma replied, smiling encouragingly at him.

“That sounds at least a little reassuring. Will you promise me something?”

“Of course.”

“Don’t ever leave my side during the weekend, okay?”

“I’m going to make an effort to do that. But I will have to leave you alone during the panels and the photo shoots. Though I’ll be around to jump in if you need my help.”

“Will I be entirely alone during these panels?”

“No, not entirely alone. There are two single panels with you but the MC will be there with you, asking questions if there are none from the audience. Which I doubt will happen. And then there are also two group panels, one with all of you guys and one with you, Aidan and Dean. Plus two single as well as two group photo shoots. And two meet and greets and autograph sessions.”

“That sounds like a considerable amount of work if I dare say.”

“In the best case I hope that it will not feel so much as work as it will be fun. I mean, I will not keep it a secret that some of the moments can become a little tiresome. But there will also be many funny moments that you won’t forget so quickly,” Emma said and tried the best that she could to take away his doubts about the upcoming weekend.

“For example?”

“The photo sessions can become quite funny at times. You wouldn’t imagine the kind of things the fans can come up with. Some of them get dressed up, others bring props to make the pictures really special. Then there are also the ones who are going to ask for hugs or kisses. But you are always allowed to say ‘no’ to a request if you don’t feel comfortable.”

“Mhmmm…”

“May I ask you something?”

“You, as well, are always allowed to ask me anything, of course.”

“Why is it that you don’t feel as at ease in such moments as your colleagues do for example? Don’t get me wrong, I totally understand you and it’s one of the things I like most about you. I would hate having to do all that but that’s also why I could never become an actress because I knew it would be requested of me.”

“Yes, it sadly is requested these days to go through situations that you don’t like. Don’t get _me_ wrong, I really do love my fans and I’ll be forever grateful for them for supporting me through the good and the bad times. I love that I can give something back to them at such events because I know what it means to them to have a picture taken with me or to get something signed by me that they value. It’s just… I just don’t understand _why_ that makes them so happy. I’m nothing special. I don’t save or protect the world. I haven’t developed a cure for a deadly disease. I haven’t discovered a new continent or planet. I haven’t walked the moon. I’m just me, Richard, doing his job like any other guy who gets up in the morning to bake bread or sell newspapers. I breathe the same air as everyone else, I eat the same food, I go to the same movie theatres. I’m just like anyone else. Nothing special.”

“I will come back to the part about you not being special in just a sec but first… Why do you like and admire Tolkien?”

“You are not comparing me to one of the most famous authors out there, are you?”

“Just answer my question. And don’t think too much about it, just tell me. Tell me why _The Hobbit_ wasn’t just a book that you’ve read in your teens but instead stayed with you for your entire life? Tell me why your eyes light up when someone asks you to talk about Tolkien. Tell me why, when you speak about him, you appear more confident and assured than in many other situations.”

Richard looked at her with amazement. “I… How do you know that?”

“I have seen it happening. More than once. As soon as you start talking about Tolkien and Middle Earth, I’m in awe and could listen to you for hours because I just know that it is something that comes from deep within you, something that is important to you. But you still haven’t answered my question yet.”

“I admire Tolkien because… Well, _The Hobbit_ and _The Lord of the Rings_ were the novels I grew up with. I don’t know what it is about them but they just stuck with me the whole time. They taught me my first lessons about love and friendship and bravery. And I admire Tolkien because he not only created a story and characters that one can relate to but he created a whole universe with a history and languages and creatures. He crafted Middle Earth with so much detail and fantasy that you can lose yourself in it without having to try very hard. I love that you can learn so much about Middle Earth. It’s just as if it had really existed. And I could just go on and on but I think you know what I mean.”

“I do,” Emma replied, nodding. “And see what just happened? You sounded so relaxed and happy talking about it, like it just flows out of you without you having to think about it. When you talk about random stuff in interviews, sometimes it feels like you have to carefully word your replies, probably thinking about what people might want to hear. I mean, I could be just imagining that of course… But when you talk about Tolkien, it’s the only time I’m 100 % convinced that it’s the real you talking. Well, that was _before_ of course.”

“Before what?” Richard wanted to know. During their conversation they had slightly turned towards each other, his knee pressing against hers.

“Before I met you… I know we’ve only known each other for about two days but when we talk about things it always feels like it’s the real you, which you could be pretending it to be, of course, but I don’t believe that you would do that..."

“You are right about that. I mean, there are situations where I have to do and say things that are not necessarily the things I would want to say or do… but I try to keep those moments to a minimum because I feel like I’m lying… however, with you, I just don’t feel the need to pretend anything. I know it’s absolutely crazy because we only know so little about each other and if I told my agents about what I’m doing here, they would probably kill me… but there is something so reassuring about you that just makes me want to tell you everything, knowing that I can trust you.”

“And I appreciate your trust every second of the day… coming back to what I originally intended to say with my question is that: you see, Tolkien created something that you enjoy watching and reading and just loosing yourself in… and you do just the same. You create characters and pour yourself into them… you give them a face and a life. And with it, you make your characters accessible. Be it a character like John Thornton, a true gentleman that gives women hope for not all men being the same… or a character like John Proctor, that inspires people to stand in for what’s right… You unite people… because of you and the characters and fandoms you represent, friendships are formed… relationships are made… and in my eyes, that makes you very special.”

“You… I mean… I… Thank you for saying that, Emma. People keep saying that… I could just never believe it…”

“And do you believe it now?”

“I’m still not 100 % convinced… but you sound so honest and convinced that I can’t help but believe it a little…”

“I’ll try and keep convincing you then.”

Richard’s smiled at her gratefully. In return, Emma grinned shyly at him before looking away, trying to catch her breath. During each of their conversations, there had always been a certain kind of intensity to it, even when they were talking about light and funny topics. But during the most in depth and honest ones, when his piercing blue eyes were locked firmly on hers, the intensity always made it hard for Emma to breathe.

***

The rest of the day just flew by in no time. After they had arrived in Heidelberg, they took a stroll through the historic part of the city and alongside the river. In the early afternoon, they had sat down in a small and quiet café, drinking tea and eating an unhealthy yet irresistible piece of whipped cream cake. On the way back to the boat, they had fought about the best soccer team in Europe, with Emma fiercely defending her team _FC Bayern Munich_ and teasing Richard about his team _Leicester City_ fighting against relegation. During the trip back to Frankfurt, Richard had told Emma a little about his latest project _‘Pilgrimage’_ for which he would have to return to Ireland that coming Monday. He had told her that until then he wouldn’t be allowed to shave so that the beard would look just as it did before he left. Not having wanted to think about the inevitable goodbye in a couple of days, Emma had redirected to topic to Ireland in general, telling him about one of the best holidays she’s ever had there. Richard and Emma had returned to the hotel by 6 pm, leaving Richard just enough time for a quick shower to get ready for the welcoming dinner with the guys. As they had crossed the lobby, more people were crowding the place there. Immediately after they had entered the space, a quiet yet audible whisper echoed through the room. Some girls had started to giggle while others had started waving at Richard. Politely he had waved back before following Emma to the elevators.

“I wish I could take you with me to that dinner,” Richard said as they now stood in the hallway to Emma’s room. 

“I’m sure you’re going to have a fabulous time with your colleagues and the girls,” Emma said enthusiastically but didn’t know who she was kidding. She would have loved to go with him just to spend some more time with Richard. He was becoming like a drug and the impending goodbye was weighing her down.

“Still… You are not there and that diminishes any possible enjoyment on my part.”

“Just give it a go, you might be surprised. Plus, we’ve spent practically every waking hour of those last two days together so maybe some time apart isn’t too bad… otherwise we’d only get too used to each other and then it’ll be even harder on Monday…” Emma then said and sadness crept into her voice, which ended with a worried look on Richard’s face.

“Don’t do that,” Richard begged.

“Don’t do what?”

“Talk as if Monday will be the last day we’re ever going to see each other.”

“For all I know it might be?”

It was in that moment, that Richard’s phone started ringing in his pocket. Looking at the caller ID before returning his gaze to Emma, he said: “I’m terribly sorry but I have to get that one. And then I really have to get ready for that dinner. But we will talk about this,” Richard said, moving his index finger between them, “properly, the next time we see each other.” And with that, he hurried off and Emma could only watch him as put the phone to his ear, disappearing from her view.

***

Just when Emma was about to step into the hot bath that she had drawn herself, her cell phone buzzed.

_** I’m sorry I had to leave so suddenly. It was Kirk, my agent. If he calls instead of texting, it’s important. Richard **_

_** Don’t worry about it. It’s okay. Emma **_

_** No it’s not. We will continue where we left off, I promise you that. **_

_** Okay, we will do that. For now I wish you a pleasant evening with the others. Take care, Emma **_

_** Are we okay? **_

_** Sure. Now go and have fun! **_

There was no more reply after that, so Emma put the phone away for a second to finish getting undressed, before stepping into the bath. Trying to let go of the tension in her body, she relaxed into the warmth, closing her eyes. After a couple of minutes of finding to herself, she grabbed for her phone again, calling her best friend Susanne.

“Heeeey, honey! I was starting to organize a search party because I haven’t heard back from you since your arrival in Frankfurt!”

“Hey, sweety! I’m so sorry for that… the last two days have been unbelievable… I don’t even know where to start.”

“Oh my god… What happened?? Have you met any of the actors yet? Are they all as nice as Jed was last year? Tell me everything!”

Emma had to chuckle at Susanne’s enthusiasm. “Calm down, Sus, you’re not helping me to calm my nerves.”

“I’m sorry… but start talking now!!”

“Okay okay… so… Well…”

“NOW!!”

“Okay, so I arrived on Tuesday, right in time for the first meeting with Claudia and Mary. The meeting went smoothly and the other PAs seem nice enough though some have been rather over enthusiastic for the whole thing.”

“Yeah, I can imagine. They just don’t know what to expect. I’m really curious how the PAs of Dean and Aidan will be with all the screaming girls hunting them down.”

“Ugh… Don’t say that… I still have hope that it might not be as bad as I see it in my head. I already had a hard time convincing Richard that it would all be okay.”

To that, Susanne squeaked. “You’ve already met and talked to Richard?? Oh my God, how is he??”

Emma’s heartbeat sped up at the thought of him, a slight flutter caressing the insides of her stomach. “He’s… I mean… He… Gah… Oh God, Susanne… I don’t know what’s happening… but it feels so good and that scares me half to death.”

“I NEED MORE DETAILS HERE!!!”

“Well… I picked him up from the airport on Tuesday because the driver was sick and we just kind of hit it off… When our eyes met for the first time, something happened… I can not explain it… and now everything feels different.”

“What feels different? What happened? What do you mean, you hit it off?”

“We started talking during the drive home… and haven’t stopped talking since then. I don’t even know if I’ve ever talked so much before.”

“You have to give me the details, honey, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

And so Emma told Susanne the whole story about their first non-date and the first real date, about their breakfasts and walks and visits and goodbyes.

“I’m just so scared… My heart is falling for him… I can already feel it… But my head keeps warning me that he’ll leave on Monday and then what?”

“Don’t start running again, sweety! Richard is not gone from this earth. From what I understood, he’ll even only be two hours away by plane. It could be worse!”

“Yes… for now it’s only two hours. Once he goes back to New York…”

“You will think about that when the time comes. Why don’t you just enjoy what you’re feeling right now?”

“Because it feels too good to be true. And I don’t know what he’s thinking about the whole thing.”

“From what you’ve told me, I’d say he is right there with you. Talk to him about it and I’m sure he can take away your worries.”

“Maybe he can… Gosh… I sound so stupid… I act like we already have months of dating behind us… I keep forgetting that it’s only been two days… even if it does feel longer.”

“It will all work out in the end, sweety. Just take a deep breath and then concentrate on all the positive feelings.”

“Yes, you are right… I should absolutely do that. Sorry for freaking out there for a second.”

“That’s what friends are for, right?”

“Right…”

“So, when will you see him again?’

“Tomorrow, I guess. He’s out with the guys and Claudia and Mary tonight.”

“Well, you still have a whole weekend ahead of you. Make it count!”

“I will, thank you, Susanne! I should probably get out of the bath now… My whole body is wrinkly.”

“You do that. And then enjoy the evening. Don’t overthink things and call me when you need me. Or when something exciting happens. Or when the flight instinct kicks in. Or when he kisses you. Just keep me updated!” To that, Emma chuckled.

“I will definitely do that. Thanks again, sweety! What would I do without you?!”

“Take care, hun! Talk to you soon.”

“Talk to you soon! Love ya!”

“Love ya, too!”

The line went dead and after quickly shaving her legs and other body parts, she got out of the bath and slipped into her pajamas. Getting comfortable on her bed, she turned on the TV, right in time to the 2005 version of _Pride & Prejudice_ starting.

***

With the credits rolling, Emma jumped out of bed to run to the bathroom, as all the tea she had been drinking that day wanted out but not able to miss one second of one of her favorite movies, she just ignored it until then. Just when she came out again, there was a soft knock on the door. Opening it carefully, she peeked through the little slit, only to find Richard standing on the other side. He was loosening the tie around his neck, as the sound of the door made him look up, their eyes fixating on each other.

“Hey… what are you doing here so late?” Emma asked surprised.

“May I come in? I do believe we have some things of important matter to discuss,” Richard replied.

Emma opened the door to let him in, following him into the room. Seeing the raked up bed and then Emma already wearing her PJs, Richard apologized: “I’m sorry… have I woken you up?”

“No, don’t worry. I’ve just been in bed, watching a movie. I haven’t slept yet.” They both sat down at the edge of the bed, Emma facing him crossed-legged after she had turned off the TV.

“Okay… I’m glad. I had just hoped… that maybe we could finish that talk from earlier. I’m sorry that it took me so long to get back but I had to wait for the right opportunity to leave the guys without it being rude. Thankfully Graham was getting really tired so we agreed to share a cab back to the hotel.”

“Oh, so your dinner wasn’t at the hotel?”

“The dinner was. But we wanted some alone time, so the guys decided to go to a pub in the city. Well, Aidan and Dean did and somehow talked the rest of us into it as well. I couldn’t say ‘no’ despite the thought of our goodbye earlier driving me absolutely mad.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to behave like that…”

“No, my dear, if anyone has to apologize, it’s me. I shouldn’t have taken off like that. It’s just… in the past, all I had was my work… So when they call, it’s just my natural instinct to always be reachable for them. That’s no excuse, of course, but I hope you understand that nonetheless. I try to change that in the future, I promise.”

“You don’t have to do that. I understand how important a job can be.”

“But it should never be more important than personal relationships.”

“You are probably right about that. Nonetheless, I do understand you and you don’t have to apologize for earlier, I’m serious.”

“What did I do to deserve meeting such an understanding and considerate person?”

Emma smiled, looking down at her clasped hands in her lap as she blushed.

“So… what I had intended to say earlier this evening, before we were so rudely interrupted by my mobile, was that we definitely are going to see each other again, once this weekend is over. You didn’t believe for one second that I would just let you go on Monday, did you?”

“I don’t know… No… I mean, deep down, I knew that Monday wouldn’t be the end… it’s just… I never experienced something so deep and intense before… it keeps meddling with my brain because it’s defying all logic. But I should have trusted you and all the things you’ve said so far.”

Richard reached for Emma’s hands, unfolding them and placing them in his, before returning his eyes to her.

“Yes, you should have. I still can’t quite put my finger on what this is that is going on between the two of us. All I know is that I’m pulled towards you like a magnet and that even after only two days I can no longer imagine a life in which you don’t exist. And I’m dying to see where it could possibly lead us in the future, if you are willing to take that leap of faith with me,” Richard asked with hope in his voice.

“Of course, I am. Just be aware that I might make some mistakes along the way because, as I’ve said before, this is all very new to me,” Emma replied, her eyes dropping back down. In return, Richard freed one of his hands, using his index finger to lift her face back up to his.

“And I will make mistakes as well because I’m human and it’s in our nature. We just have to be open and honest with each other.”

“I can do that.”

“Good,” Richard said, dropping his hand back into Emma’s lap.

“Good,” echoed Emma, grinning back at him. 

“Okay… I guess I should probably leave now… I don’t want to keep you awake any longer.”

“Don’t worry, you aren’t… Are you tired yet?” Emma asked, her voice and gaze hopeful. Richard raised an eyebrow at her, grinning.

“Not really… If you have a better suggestion than sleep, I’m all for it.”

“Do you maybe want to stay a little longer? Watch a movie together or something?”

“That does sound like a lovely plan. Would you mind though if I went up to my room for a second to change into more comfortable clothes?”

“No, of course not!”

“Or… counterproposal: you come up with me and we watch a movie on that shiny huge plasma TV of mine.”

“Uhm… Okay, sure, why not. Just let me put on some clothes.”

“I rather like you just dressed like that,” Richard said, winking at her.

“Until the moment someone sees me in the elevators with you, just dressed like that.”

“It’s almost 11 pm, I’m sure there’s no one out there anymore.”

“It’s the day before the con, dear Richard. Almost EVERYONE will be out there, I assure you,” Emma replied, laughing.

“Okay… you win,” Richard replied, relieved to see her in good spirits again.

Emma roamed about the room, grabbing her dark blue jogging pants and putting them on over her PJs. 

“Here,” Richard cut in, getting up from the bed and holding his leather jacket open for her to slip in. After zipping it up, they went up to the eighth floor, Emma being thankful for the pieces of clothing she was wearing since the elevator was occupied by a group of four giggling women. 

Arriving in Richard’s room, Emma hung his jacket over the chair by the writing desk, before hopping onto his bed. She wriggled around until she found a position that was comfortable, leaning her head against the headboard of the bed. Richard watched her with a content smile, before he excused himself to the bathroom.

Upon returning a couple of moments later, Richard was wearing black jogging pants that hung low on his hips and a white t-shirt that clung to his chest. He took the remote control from the table before making his way over to Emma, coming to rest on the king-sized bed as well. They picked the movie _‘Serial (Bad) Weddings’_ , both in the mood for a light, French comedy.

During the opening scene of the movie, Emma scooted closer towards Richard. As he felt her moving beside him, he lifted his arm so that she could snuggle up into his side, his arm wrapping securely around her waist. Emma laid her head on his chest, with her left hand coming to rest near her face. She could feel and hear the steady beating of his heart beneath her and she closed her eyes, relishing in the feeling of being held by him. It felt better than she could have ever imagined and deep within her another piece of the puzzle fell into place. Being lulled by his warmth, his scent, his strength and the rhythmic beating of his heart, it didn’t take long before Emma fell into oblivion.

When Richard moved out from under her after the movie had ended, Emma groaned and opened her eyes slowly.

“Sssh… Go back to sleep…” Richard whispered quietly. He turned off the TV and moved under the covers, pulling Emma with him. Sleepily, Emma snuggled close to him again, feeling his arms wrap around her protectively and hearing him whisper “Sweet dreams, my dear Emma” before she drifted off again.

***


	5. Chapter 5 - Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First day of DwarfCon. A little drama. And a little fluff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next installment, just in time for the weekend. I hope it'll be a great one for all of you! Enjoy your off time, relax and have fun!

_Friday, May 15th, 2015_

 

The next morning, a strange buzzing sound woke Emma from the best night of sleep she has ever had. Crossing that state between sleeping and waking, Emma felt a heavy arm draped around her waist and a hot breath caressing her neck. Realizing where she was, Emma opened her eyes and was temporarily blinded by the bright sunlight streaming into the room. As the buzzing sound turned gradually louder, Richard stirred behind her, groaning quietly. Releasing his grip on Emma, he turned around to stop the noise on the nightstand to his side. When he turned back, Richard wrapped his arm around Emma again, pulling her flush against his body and nuzzling her hair.

“Good morning, Emma,” Richard whispered, his voice still hoarse and raspy from sleep.

“A wonderful good morning to you, too. I hope you slept well?”

“Indeed. Better than in a very long time. How did you sleep, my dear?”

“Yeah, me, too,” Emma replied, sighing contently.

“I certainly could get used to this.”

“Yeah… so could I.”

They stayed like that for a couple of moments, before Emma remembered what day it was.

“Oh shoot… What time is it?”

“It’s a quarter to eight, why?”

“Oh no… I have to be at the first team meeting in exactly 75 minutes. I should probably head down to my room now and get ready…”

Instinctively, Richard’s arm wrapped even tighter around Emma, whispering intently: “Don’t leave just yet…”

“Oh god… You can’t talk to me like that…” Emma sighed, trying to suppress a giggle.

“Why is that, my dear?” Richard shot back, his voice another octave deeper.

“Seriously, stop it or I can’t guarantee for your safety…”

“Hmmmm….” Richard replied, the sound making his chest rumble.

“I’m leaving now,” Emma said determinedly, trying to wiggle free from his embrace.

“And you should stop rubbing yourself against me or _I_ can not guarantee for _your_ safety.’ 

It was the first time that Richard shot a sexual innuendo in her direction and it immediately went to all the right places, making her tingle all over.

“If I don’t go now, I don’t know if I ever will…”

“And that would be bad why?” Richard wanted to know, his voice still deep and intense.

“That would be bad because Claudia and Mary will send a search party if neither you nor me show up in time and I don’t know if you really want that.”

“Well… Believe it or not but I really really do not care about that,” Richard said, deeply inhaling the scent of her hair.

“Under any other circumstances I would say that I agree with you wholeheartedly… Because you know what I would love to do? I would love to stay here all day long, wrapped in your arms, feeling you, smelling you, touching you… No one has ever made me feel the way I am feeling right now… But alas, I made a promise and you signed a contract and I really hope that we have to break neither.’

Richard sighed exasperatedly, throwing his hands in the air. “Fiiiiineeee…. You win. You’re too dutiful for your own good.”

“And you will come to like that about me,” Emma said and laughed, turning around and finally gazing at him for the first time this morning. He looked absolutely breathtaking with his scruffy beard and still sleepy eyes, a slow smile forming on his lips. If Emma would have been any braver, she wouldn’t have hesitated and kissed him right then and there. Instead, she leaned in and gently brushed her lips over his cheek. 

“I’ll see you at nine thirty in the green room. Don’t be late,” Emma said, getting out of the huge bed and waving at him one last time, before she went out of the room and downstairs.

***

When Emma entered the head quarter at a couple of minutes to nine am, content and happy to see Richard again in just about half an hour, she was one of the first ones to arrive. Claudia and Mary were already there, looking seriously at Emma and with it wiping the smile from her face. They motioned her to join them at the front of the room so Emma went there directly.

As Emma reached them, they still weren’t smiling.

“Good morning…. What’s with the serious faces?” Emma greeted them.

“Good morning, Emma. Take a seat,” Claudia ordered, pointing to the chair opposite of them.

“Okay… you’re scaring me here… What’s wrong?”

“It’s been brought to our attention that you’ve been seen hanging out around Richard…”

“Uhm… yes… That is right,” Emma said, deciding that it probably wouldn’t be wise to lie.

“We chose you to be Richard’s personal assistant because we thought that you’d be more professional than to stalk him. After everything that happened last year with Charlie, we thought that we could trust you…”

“Stalk him? Are you kidding me?”

“Well, how else would you describe what you were doing?”

“I can’t believe that you are seriously believing that I stalked Richard… Who the hell fed you that kind of shit?”

“That’s not important. The question is why you did it?”

“Why? Shouldn’t you be asking me IF I did it? No wait… thinking about it, you shouldn’t be askig me either question because you should know me better than that,” Emma said and was getting really angry now.

“Yes, we did think we knew you better until we heard the stories. Why are you dodging the question though?”

“I’m not dodging anything. I’m just really angry right now that you believe the story of whoever told you that shit instead of asking me about it.”

“We are asking you right now, are we not?”

“No, you fucking aren’t. You’re accusing me and that is a big difference,” Emma replied, having a hard time to keep her voice low.

“Please, just do us a favor and explain what happened so we can move on and find a replacement for you.” Emma couldn’t believe what they were saying, shocked that they were going to fire her.

“Why does it even matter then what I’m going to say if you want to replace me anyways?”

“Because despite what you’re thinking, we might be giving you the benefit of a doubt here.”

“Wow… What an eye-opener this morning has been so far… this is just fucking unbelievable… I really thought we were friends and right now I would love to just walk out of here… but since I know that it would leave you with one unhappy Mr. Armitage, I’m not going to do that. Yes, people might have seen me with Richard because I’ve spent some time with him. He wanted me to show him the city on Tuesday and since we’ve both never been to Frankfurt before, we took the opportunity to discover the city together. Everything that happened between Richard and me has always been with mutual consent.”

“If that is true, then surely you wouldn’t have a problem with us asking him about it personally?” Mary wanted to know, the look on her face full of doubt.

“Be my guest… He will be here shortly anyways.”

“Okay… you can stay until then,” Mary replied and then turning to Claudia: “We should probably get started with the meeting.”

Emma got up from the chair and walked over to the other PAs, sitting down on the far end of the table. Mary and Claudia tried to run them down with the details of the day and with a sideway glance to Emma they were summarizing again what their job was supposed to be. Afterwards they were shown the quickest ways between the different locations of the photo shoots, the meet and greets and the stage. Their tour ended at the green room where Claudia ordered them to sit down. 

“You will bring the actors here if they have a couple of minutes between two activities. If it’s more than an hour between appointments, they are of course free to go to their rooms. Ask them how close they want you by their sides, how they want to be picked up, what they don’t want be confronted with by the fans and stuff like that. Everyone is different, so keep that in mind when you start into the weekend,” Mary explained, looking down at her watch. “They should be here any minute now. We’re going to introduce you to the actors and you’ll have some time to talk to them before the opening ceremony will begin.”

The other assistants started talking excitedly while Emma just sat next to them, still trying to calm down from the mistrust the organizers had put in her. It was only a couple of minutes later that the air in the confined space changed and without having to turn around, Emma knew that Richard had just entered the room. The whisper that echoed through the room verified her suspicion and just seconds after that, Richard’s deep voice sounded from a couple of meters away from her: “Good morning, everyone.” His words were followed by other masculine voices saying ‘Good morning’ or ‘Hello, ladies’ as they came into the room.

Emma turned around to look at the group only to find Richard’s eyes already on her, a small smile playing around his lips. As he saw Emma’s serious expression however, his smile died away. Emma watched him as he hesitated for a second, before he continued walking on to the front of the room where Claudia and Mary were already waiting for them.

“Good morning, gentlemen. We just finished our meeting and were already eagerly awaiting you,” Mary greeted them, as Emma’s strained look landed on Richard once more. He had turned serious as well as he returned the gaze, Emma practically able to see the question in his eyes.

Claudia and Mary turned away from the small group of PAs to whisper something to the actors. After a moment, the two women took Richard aside from the rest and started talking to him. Emma watched Richard’s expression as it turned from calm and serious to agitated and angry. He was gesturing in Emma’s direction; his firm gaze however was fixed on the two women before him. Naturally, Emma couldn’t hear what he was saying but the low, deep sound that was travelling through the room let everyone know that it was serious. As a reply to Richard’s fevered gestures, Claudia and Mary only nodded every once in a while, both looking embarrassed by the whole situation. They talked like that for a couple of minutes, the rest of the actors and assistants standing and staring awkwardly at each other. It was Aidan Turner who broke the situation by walking over to the PAs, introducing himself and hugging them all as a sign of welcome. Dean followed his lead immediately and before long, the two groups were mingling, assistants finding their actors and vice versa. 

Claudia and Mary were still talking to Richard in the corner, as two tall guys stepped into Emma’s field of vision, blocking her view.

“You must be Richard’s Emma, right?” Aidan asked and before Emma could reply anything, she already felt his arms wrap around her in a hug. Over Aidan’s shoulder, Emma saw Richard watching them now, as Claudia and Mary stood before him quietly.

“Hello Aidan, I’m Emma. It’s really nice to meet you,” Emma replied after Aidan had released her.

“We were really curious to meet the woman Richard kept talking about last night,” Dean said, equally crashing her against his body in a tight hug. “I’m Dean, by the way.”

“I know,” Emma said and for the first time since her confrontation with the two organizers, she had to smile and immediately felt the weight lift from her shoulders a little.

“So, tell us, Emma, what have you done to our beloved uncle?” Aidan wanted to know, placing his hand on her shoulder as he mustered her seriously, mischief in his eyes.

“I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about,” Emma answered innocently, chuckling.

Being so caught up in the presence of Dean and Aidan, Emma hadn’t noticed the end of the conversation between Claudia, Mary and Richard. Only when a shadow fell over them and his deep voice cut in, did Emma see him standing behind his dwarf-nephews. 

“Would you mind if I interrupt?”

“Oh hey, Richard. We were just keeping this beautiful lady here some company,” Aidan said, pulling his hand back from Emma’s shoulder.

“And now it’s my turn. Don’t you have some bonding to do with your assistants?” Richard asked, sounding all serious and territorial. In return, Aidan and Dean looked at each other and smiled knowingly. Turning back to Emma, they both bowed. “We will talk about this later,” Dean said, before they walked over to their PAs, sitting down with them.

As Richard placed both of his hands on Emma’s upper arms, caressing them gently for just a second, Emma looked up at him with a careful smile.

“I’m sorry for the drama they most probably have burdened you with,” Emma apologized, bringing her right hand up to squeeze Richards arm. 

“Emma… I beg you, please stop apologizing for things that are _not_ your fault. They have both lost their minds there for a second. But I’ve cleared things up and now everything’s okay,” Richard explained, reluctantly letting her arms go.

“Are you sure? They still look rather unhappy.”

“Don’t worry about that. I assume they are just really embarrassed right now.”

“What did you tell them?”

“The truth. That I enjoy spending time with you, that your open and affectionate personality has made the last two and a half days a real bliss and that I value you not only for being my assistant.”

Emma blushed but smiled warmly at him. “Thank you for jumping in and saving my reputation. That friendship is still going to be over though.”

“Yes, I can understand that. But don’t let them destroy your mood. I was really scared there a couple of minutes ago. You looked so happy when you left me this morning and an hour later that was all gone… I thought that maybe you regretted staying over the night, that maybe it was too much too soon…” 

“After I’ve told you this morning that no one has ever made me feel that way? No, I regret nothing. Except maybe the fact that I now know what it feels like being held by you and me never wanting to miss that feeling again.”

“And so you never shall,” Richard replied. Not wanting to mention the upcoming Monday again, Emma instead smiled at him.

“I guess we should join the others now… Be a bit more sociable, don’t you think?”

Richard groaned quietly. “Like I said, you are too dutiful for your own good.” Emma laughed and with Richard’s hand on her back, they made their way over to the rest of the group.

***

The opening ceremony had gone smoothly and the amount of squealing and screaming women was really half as bad as Emma had expected. They had a group panel right after the opening ceremony that gave the fans and the actors a first opportunity to get acquainted with each other. Emma had caught Richard looking for her in the crowd every once in a while but despite him being his usual shy and cautious actor-self he gradually became more at ease and his laugh almost didn’t sound so controlled anymore by the end of the panel. Afterwards, Emma had waited for him by the stage to accompany him back to the green room, were he had lunch with the others. Emma had promised him to wait outside and waved her cell phone, signing him that he should text or call her if he needed anything.

Emma had stayed true to her promise and was now waiting outside of the green room for the next appointment. She sat down on the ground, leaning against the wall. The other PAs were swarming around the area and hopefully would be back by the time for their next appointments. Emma and Richard had one more hour before Richard’s first of two meet and greets. Both were sold out, which meant that they’d have to tackle two groups of fifteen people each. Not wanting to think so far ahead yet, Emma took her smartphone and first texted Susanne with an update since their call the day before and then started reading the news. Half an hour into it, the door to the green room opened and Claudia and Mary came out. They saw Emma sitting on the ground and walked towards her.

“Hey Emma… We just wanted to apologize for earlier… I guess we were a little hasty with our conclusion,” Mary admitted.

“Yeah, we shouldn’t have believed others before we talked to you directly. We really are sorry for that.”

“It’s okay. I know where I stand now but I’m professional enough to not let that affect my work during this weekend.”

“You stand exactly where you stood before that little incident. You’re the one we trust the most in our team, that’s why you are Richard’s assistant,” Mary tried, even sounding convinced of her own words.

“Yes, I have seen how much you trust me just two hours ago. But like I said, it’s okay. This is business after all. We do what we have to do,” Emma replied and was interrupted by the door to the green room being opened once more. Richard walked out and for the first time that day, Emma’s head was clear enough to take in his appearance. Richard was wearing a pair of black jeans, a white button-down shirt with a black tie around his neck and a grey sports jacket. His hair was smoothed to the side and with the beard he radiated strength and masculinity. Emma’s heart rate sped up as he neared them, his eyes firmly resting on her. The two organizers retreated without another word upon seeing the intensity between them.

“Like what you see?” Richard asked, a deep and raspy sound of amusement leaving his chest as he sat down next to Emma.

“Seriously, you have to stop dressing like that. Tomorrow I’ll bring you some clothes…”

Richard looked at her, worried for a second. “Is it that bad?”

Emma typed something into her phone before she held it in Richard’s direction. “See, a jute bag might fit you way better than those fancy clothes here.” To that, Richard let out a real laugh, the sound of it hitting the very core of Emma. 

“Or maybe not… you might still have the same effect on women, I fear.”

“I really don’t care about that. All I care about is the effect I have on you.”

“You very well know what kind of effect you have on me, Mister,” Emma said and twisted her body, so that she sat cross-legged facing him.

“Do I?” Richard shot back, his head leaning against the wall but turned towards her.

“Yes, you most definitely do.” Changing the subject, Emma steered the conversation back to the convention. “So, are you enjoying the convention so far?”

They talked about the convention and Emma ran down the details for the upcoming meet and greet. On the way to said meeting, Emma directed him through the event area and was glad that once they were discovered, the bigger part of the crowd reacted civilized and respectful. Only two young girls tried to get a photo taken with him that Emma declined firmly but politely. The meet and greet room was one of the adjoining rooms to the main area and was decorated in grey and gold, giving it the appearance as if it might have been one of the hidden dungeons in Erebor. Thirteen women and two boys in their early teens and dressed as dwarves were already waiting, as Richard and Emma entered. There were two rows of chairs in front of a table with two seats behind it. Instead of sitting down on one of the chairs however, Richard decided to lean against the front of the table and therefore avoided creating a barrier between him and the others. Emma just liked him even more for it and took one of the chairs to place it slightly aside. She was far enough away from the actual scene as to not interrupt but still close enough to jump in if he needed her to. Before Emma sat down, she walked back to Richard’s side and made quick introductions. In a couple of sentences, Emma explained that asking for pictures or hugs was forbidden during the first twenty-five minutes and that all questions should be appropriate due to younger people attending as well. After that, she sat down on her seat and watched the scene unfold before her. 

Richard held his ground quiet well, being eloquent and charming as hell as ever. The women in the room clung to his every word, some of them undoubtedly undressing him with their eyes, whereas the two boys were excitedly moving up and down their chairs. It took them a while but when they finally found their courage they kept asking intelligent questions about Thorin and his quest. Once again, shy and closed off Richard was gone, replaced by an open and confident version of him. Emma thought then and there that she would never get enough of hearing him talk like that.

After twenty-five minutes, Emma signaled the group that the time was almost up. They had five more minutes now to get an autograph or a picture, before the end of the meet and greet. During those last five minutes, Emma moved to Richard’s side, expecting that situations might come up that could make him feel uncomfortable. First in line were the two dwarves who each held a poster in their hands that they wanted Richard to sign. With broken English, they politely tried to ask him for a picture. Emma jumped in, taking the camera from one of the boys while Richard crouched down to fit their height. With their photos taken they happily waded away, making room for the others. When the women came up to him though, standing by and taking pictures suddenly wasn’t so easy anymore. Seeing how they pressed themselves against Richard, placing their hands on his chest or his arm, some of them even caressing him, stirred that ugly beast called jealousy deep within Emma’s stomach. With sharp claws it tried to break free as the last woman in line snuggled close to Richard, both of her arms wrapping tightly around his waist.

When the picture was taken, Richard shook the hands of all the attendees before he made his way over to Emma. With a touch to her back, Richard led her out of the room and together they walked into the direction of the green room.

“Okay… that was definitely harder than I expected…” Emma mumbled, torn between wanting to tell him and keeping her feelings to herself.

“What was?” Richard wanted to know, his hand not leaving her back even if it was just a small and simple gesture.

“Watching you with all these women pressed against your body.” Emma explained, not able to look him in the eye.

“Are you jealous?” Richard asked incredulously, looking at her expectantly.

“Maybe… a little….”

“It’s just business, you know that, right? None of these women are doing anything for me…”

“I know that it’s just business… but it doesn’t make it any easier… especially knowing the thoughts these women were undoubtedly having…”

“You can’t think about that too much or it will drive you mad… The only thing that counts is what’s going on in here” Richard said, pointing to his head, before moving his finger to his heart, “and here. Everything else is just business.”

“Good thing we have more photo shoots to come… gives me some time to get used to it.”

Richard chuckled under his breath, caressing her back for a view moments but pulling his hand away just before they reached the event area that they had to cross. Again, the fans acted civilized and calm when they saw them walking, some greeting them politely, some smiling and waving. 

“Okay, what’s up next?” Richard wanted to know, staying close to Emma’s side.

“You have one and a half hours off now. At 3:30 pm there’s the triple photo shoot with Dean and Aidan for an hour. And afterwards you’re already done for the day. Gives you enough time to reload your battery for tomorrow. It will definitely be a little more hectic than today.”

“Fair enough.”

“So, what do you wanna do now? Back to the green room to chat with the guys? Go upstairs to your room and relax a little? Or do you want to visit one of the lectures that are taking place right now?”

“Hmm… What kind of lectures are there?”

Emma pulled out the already wrinkly schedule, trying to decipher the current lectures. “Seems like there is a disputation about _The Hobbit_ trilogy versus the book. And a lecture about friendship in Tolkien’s works.”

“Would you mind having a look at the second one? I’d really love to listen in on it and see if it’s any good.”

“Sure, let’s do that.”

And so they made their way to one of the three conference rooms Claudia and Mary had rented for the weekend. The room was already full and the lights dimmed, except for the spotlights in front of the room, where the lecturer was sitting. Richard and Emma slid into the last row, taking up two seats in the far corner of the room. No one had seen them coming in and they hoped that it would stay like that, not wanting to withdraw any attention from the lecturer. Richard rested his arm on the back of Emma’s chair, making her scoot a little closer towards him in return. Enjoying the closeness and the darkness surrounding them, they sat and listened to the sixty minutes long lecture about the different ties of friendship in Tolkien’s work. Every once in a while, Richard would whisper something in Emma’s ear, causing her to shiver and almost making her forget what he was saying. At first, he kept talking about Tolkien, referencing to the lecture or telling her things he had read somewhere. When he noticed however what his whispers did to her, Emma couldn’t help but think that some of his comments where just to throw her off, seeing how they became more shallow and insignificant. Emma promised herself that when she felt finally brave enough, she would pay him back for those sixty minutes.

Afterwards, they walked over the fantasy market for a couple of minutes, before it was already time to head to the last appointment of the day: the photo shoot with Aidan and Dean. One the one hand, Emma was really glad that Aidan and Dean would be there with them so that she wouldn’t have to look at all the women coming just for Richard. But on the other hand, Emma was also scared that Aidan and Dean would draw even more women to come. Either way, Emma would have to sit through the whole ordeal, smiling and nodding.

***

In the end, the photo shoot thankfully hadn’t been that bad. There had been more women than men, of course, but it seemed that most of them had just come for the two younger guys, which made Emma feel a little better. And Richard hadn’t looked all too tense and uncomfortable either, taking every request for the many different poses. When they had finished, the three guys walked over to Emma, Lisa and Eva.

“That wasn’t so bad,” Dean said excitedly. 

“Yeah, absolutely. Some of these people have some wicked crazy ideas for poses though,” Aidan said, nodding enthusiastically.

“And some of the costumes were really impressive. They could as well have been produced by Weta, if I didn’t know any better,” Richard complemented, holding his hand towards Emma to assist her in getting up from her chair.

“I’m finished for today, right?” Richard asked, his eyes on Emma.

“Yep, all done for today. Wanna go back to the green room to pick up your stuff? Or do you wanna hang around here for a little while longer? Graham’s, William’s and Stephen’s panel will start in a few minutes,” Emma explained, giving him some options.

“I’d really love to head back to the green room if that’s okay. Are you coming with us?” Richard asked in Dean and Aidan’s direction.

“Yeah, we’re done for today as well. Lets hang out at the green room for a little while, yes?” Aidan suggested.

“That sounds like a good plan, mate,” Dean agreed and together, the six of them walked back to the green room.

When they arrived there, Dean and Aidan said their goodbyes to Lisa and Eva, thanking them for taking such good care of them during the day. They hugged each other and agreed on Lisa and Eva picking them up at 9:45 am the following morning. Feeling awkward being left alone with the guys, Emma motioned towards the door. “I should get going as well so you guys can talk and stuff.” Without waiting for a reply, she moved towards the door, looking back at Richard who had sat down on one of the sofas in the middle of the room. “If you need anything, just let me know.”

Richard’s voice stopped her before she could open the door. “There is one thing that I need…”

Emma turned around to look back at the group. Dean and Aidan had taken the sofa opposite of Richard, both holding bottles of beer in their hands and smiling at her.

“… and that is for you to come back here and sit next to me,” Richard said, patting the empty space beside him. 

“Come over, Emma, don’t let the poor man wait,” Dean laughed, waving her to them.

“Okay… but I really don’t want to interrupt or keep you guys from quality time together.”

“You are doing neither, dear! And I do believe you still owe me an answer to my question from this morning.” Aidan winked at Emma as she sat down next to Richard. 

“I still don’t know what you’re talking about, Aidan,” Emma replied, just as innocently as she did that morning.

“She’s wicked. I like her already,” Aidan said and raised his bottle of beer to salute her. Richard put his arm around Emma’s shoulders protectively, closing the distance Emma had let remain between them.

“Don’t worry, mate, we’re not gonna steal her from ya.”

“With you guys, you never know,” Richard said and laughed. The vibrations from his body went straight through Emma and it felt really good to see him joking around with the two guys facing them.

***

About half an hour later, the three men decided that it was time to call it a day. Together they walked to the elevators, all of them going up to their respective floors. At the third floor, Richard exited with Emma to take her to her room.

“Do you have any plans for tonight?” Emma asked, a little nervous about what she was going to do. 

“Not yet… but I hope that will change in the next couple of minutes?”

“Would you go out with me tonight? I mean, I would understand if you were too tired after such a tiring day and it would be totally alright if you said you wanted to just stay in, be alone, lay down, watch TV or whatever…”

“Emma… you’re rambling again,” Richard cut in, amusement clearly audible in his voice.

“Oh…. Sorry… Uhm… So… yeah… do you wanna go out with me tonight?”

“I couldn’t imagine a better way to spend my evening. What are we going to do?”

“A quick dinner at a restaurant close to here and then a surprise after that.”

“Okay… I’m intrigued. Shall I wear anything special?”

“Did you, by any chance, bring a tuxedo with you?”

Richard looked at her with wide eyes, surprise written all over his face.

“No, I fear I haven’t. But that is not going to be a problem. When should I be ready?”

“Would 6 pm be okay? The surprise starts at 8 pm so we’d have to be ready with dinner by then.”

“That is definitely okay. I’ll be at your door at 6 pm then,” Richard said, moving closer. Feeling as if it was the first time he did it, Emma shivered as Richard gently touched her cheek with his strong and warm hand, brushing a kiss on Emma’s forehead. Emma heard him inhaling deeply and felt him lingering just one more moment, before pulling away.

“Thank you for staying by my side throughout the day. I hope you know how much I appreciate it.”

“You are very welcome. And now shoo shoo! I have to get ready,” Emma said, playfully chasing him away.

“Aye aye, my lady. See you in an hour!” Just before Richard rounded the corner to the elevators, Emma saw him putting his cell phone to his ear.

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing about the convention *really* makes me want to attend another con again. The people and the atmosphere there is just so special and it relaxes me more than a two weeks holiday on the beach. But I'm rambling so I better shut up now. Did you like the chapter? Hated it? If you have another second to spare, I'd really love to hear your thoughts :-) Again, have a nice weekend!


	6. Chapter 5 - Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Relaxing after a busy day at the convention. With lots of fun and fluff and... other stuff ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Here's part 2 of chapter 5 and it's date night again :) I hope you'll enjoy the chapter!

_Friday, may 15th, 2015_

***

When Richard knocked on Emma’s door roughly an hour later, he wore the most elegant tuxedo Emma had ever seen. It fitted him perfectly and clung to his body as if it was tailored just for him. The bow tie was neatly knotted in the center of the collar and the white button down shirt shone just as much as his bright smile. Like the day before, he held a bouquet of red roses in his hand that he gave to a radiating Emma. She stepped aside to let him in, trotting after him into the center of the room.

“You look absolutely breathtaking, Emma,” Richard said, his voice full of approval as he stood in the middle of the room, eying Emma. In the past hour, she had managed to organize a ruby colored, backless gown that hugged her upper body tightly before it became slightly wavy down her legs. Paste gems and sequins run in a semicircle over her chest, shimmering in the warm light of the room.

“Thank you, Richard! You look really handsome as well! I should probably have thought about that beforehand… There’s no way I can go out with you looking like that.”

“Thank you for saying that. But you’re exaggerating…”

“Oh believe me, I’m definitely not… But since we’re already dressed up now, we should probably go?” Emma replied, putting on her black, shimmering pumps and seizing her bag.

“Yes, let’s go. I’m really curious about what you have planned for us,” Richard said, placing his hand on her back as they headed for the elevators. His touch on her bare skin sent goose bumps all over her body, every movement making her painfully aware of how much she craved his touch. How much more she wanted of it.

Emma led the way down the long main road, her hand resting in the crook of Richard’s arm. The beautiful buildings along the way more than once caught the attention of either Richard or Emma, most of the times even both. The street was lined with young beeches, many small cafés and ice cream parlors in the shadows of the trees. Some people were sitting outside, enjoying the last rays of sun for the day while others strolled down the sidewalk. After only a couple of minutes of walking, they reached a little town square and Emma came to a halt in front of another small building that read the sign _‘Brasserie’_.

“First stop: dinner at the _Brasserie_. I heard it’s one of the best restaurants in town,” Emma explained, climbing the two stairs up to the entrance. Richard opened the door for her and as they stepped in, they immediately felt relocated to a small restaurant directly in Paris. A waiter, dressed in all black welcomed them and after Emma said her name, they were placed at a table by the window. 

“This is amazing,” Richard said, completely in awe.

“You like it?” Emma beamed, happy at how content Richard sounded.

“I love it! These are exactly the kind of restaurants that I love the most. Small, intimate, special. And it’s even more special because you are here with me.” Emma blushed at his words, the fluttering in her stomach expanding. Seeing her cheeks turn slightly reddish, Richard chuckled as his eyes were fixed on her. “I also love it when you become all flustered and your cheeks turn red.”

“I’m sorry… you must think I’m just some crazy, star struck woman.”

“My dear Emma… Almost every word of that sentence is absolutely and entirely wrong. And above all, please stop apologizing. How many times will I have to tell you that?”

“Maybe a couple more times?” Emma replied innocently, smiling at him apologetically.

The conversation turned to lighter topics after that, as they enjoyed a glass of Chardonnay and shared the fish platter ‘Brasserie’ with spinach leaves and boiled potatoes. The dinner was delicious and Emma almost wished that they had some more time to stay and savor the beautiful French music and atmosphere. Alas, time was ticking, so Emma paid for dinner and after only about an hour at the restaurant, they were already leaving again. 

“Where to now?” Richard wanted to know, again offering his arm to Emma. She put her arm through his and pointed towards the old and imposing building across the square.

“The Old Opera,” Emma simply said and started walking into the direction she had just pointed at. “We’re going to see a Julian Steckel concert. He’s one of the rising cellists in Germany and really talented.”

“You are… A cello concert?” Richard asked disbelievingly.

“Yeah… Yesterday, when you talked about your time learning to play the cello you sounded so enthusiastic and looked really happy. So I thought that maybe you’d enjoy to listen to some cello music…” Emma explained, this time successfully keeping herself from starting another ramble.

“You did that for me?” Richard asked and came to a halt halfway across the square, turning towards her.

“Uhm… Yes… I hope that’s okay… if you’d rather do something else, we can still change plans.”

“No… this is… truly perfect. I have no idea what I have done to deserve you… This is with absolute certainty one of the most perfect dates I’ve ever been on. Thank you, Emma,” Richard said, briefly bringing his free hand up to her face to trace his thumb over Emma’s cheek.

Emma blushed again and looked shyly up into his piercing blue eyes. They were caught in the moment, both feeling the sparks flowing between them. The crowd on the square ceased to exist, as did every sound around them. For a few moments, it was just Emma and Richard and whatever that was between them. Only when someone barged into Emma, almost knocking her off her feet was the spell between them broken. To help Emma steady herself, Richard wrapped an arm around her.

“Disrespectful pack!” Richard grumbled under his breath after they started walking towards the opera again. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, don’t worry about me. Some people are just too rude… Anyways, let’s just get to the opera…”

***

The concert was definitely very high on the list of concerts Emma had been to in the past. While she did like to listen to classical music every once in a while, she had never been able to imagine going to such a concert, believing that it might get boring after a couple of songs. But she had never been more wrong in her entire life. Julian Steckel didn’t only play old, classical pieces but also covered contemporary pop songs and managed to interweave the old and the new in the most perfect way. During his interpretation of John Legend’s _All Of Me_ , Richard took Emma’s hand in his, squeezing it softly. She looked at him and his blue eyes were sparkling in the dim light as a small smile played around his lips.

After the concert and on the way back to the hotel, Richard never let go of Emma’s hand. He didn’t let go when they entered the lobby that was crammed with mostly women, many of them twisting their heads to get a better look at them after they’d spotted them. And he also didn’t let go in the elevator on the ride up to the third floor. Only when they reached Emma’s room and it was time to say goodbye did Richard release her hand. 

“That was undoubtedly the best evening of my life. I can’t remember the last time I felt as at peace as I did during those two and a half hours at the opera…” Richard said, his voice dropping with the last words. He looked at her with so much emotion in his eyes that Emma couldn’t think of anything to say, being too caught up in his gaze.

“I…” Richard started but instead of saying anything more, he took a step towards Emma and came to stand right in front of her. The blue in his eyes seemed to intensify with every passing second and Emma prayed that he wouldn’t be able hear her heartbeat that throbbed uncontrollably in her chest. Time and space slowed down as Richard brought his hand up to her face once more, first touching his long fingers to her cheeks before letting them travel through her hair to the back of her head. His thumb drew small, soft circles on her cheek, the sensation sending a shockwave through her body, making her shiver. As he stepped even closer towards her, Emma nervously wet her lips. His eyes dropped quickly down before searching her eyes again, locking them in another penetrating gaze. The tension was building and Emma had no idea how much more of this she could possibly take before she would lose her mind, and heart, completely. After what seemed like an eternity, Richard finally leaned in, bringing his face closer to hers. Emma thought that her heart might burst as they were only separated by mere inches. His hot breath caressed her face, making her dizzy with longing and need. In all of her twenty-seven years, had she ever wanted, ever needed anything as much as she needed Richard right in that moment. When his lips touched hers tentatively and carefully for the very first time, every nerve ending in her body exploded from the built-up tension of these last couple of days. The grasp around her neck tightened as he brought her face closer to his, their lips brushing against each other gently. Richard’s free hand came up to her waist before he let it slowly slide to the small of her back, pressing her more tightly against his body. The touch of his hand on her bare skin made her shiver and a silent moan escaped her throat. Feeling her tremble against his lips broke some part of his restraint and if anything, he wanted to get even closer to her. Instinctively, he took another step forward, only to end up pressing Emma against the door of her room. In return, Emma’s hand sneaked up, sliding along the lapel of his jacket and up around his neck and into his hair. Richard’s fingers travelled up and down her spine, leaving a hot trail on her skin, as the kiss became more passionate and heated. 

It neither crossed Richard’s nor Emma’s mind that they were still standing in the middle of the hallway, probably giving one hell of a show, when a loud bang and a door falling close next to them made them pull apart. They looked at each other with hooded eyes, both panting heavily.

“That was…” – “Do you…” They both started simultaneously but broke off.

“Please, go ahead,” Richard said, his voice even deeper than before.

“I…” Emma began, taking another deep breath before continuing. “Do you maybe wanna stay?” Emma asked, pointing with her thumb behind her back.

“There is nothing in this world I would love more… I’m just not sure it would be such a good idea…” Richard replied, the hand around her waist caressing her soothingly.

“You don’t have to be scared, I won’t jump you,” Emma said jokingly, trying to hide her disappointment.

“Believe me, I’m not scared of you. I just don’t trust myself to not jump _you_ ,’ Richard replied and chuckled, still somewhat out of breath.

“Okay… I understand that, of course… Even though I’m really going to miss having you next to me…” Emma said, relieved that Richard at least hadn’t run for the hills yet and seemed to have been just as affected by the kiss than she had been.

“God, woman… What are you doing to me??” Richard whispered as he stepped closer again, connecting their lips once more. The desperateness of just a few moments ago was gone, replaced by a gentleness that touched something deep within Emma. 

When they broke apart moments later, Richard looked at her intensively.

“Are you sure it would be okay if I stayed?”

“Of course, it would be… we only have three more nights… And I just…”

“Stop it… you’re doing it again.”

“Doing what again?”

“Talking as if after Monday we will never see each other again.”

“Oh… No… I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just… I want to savor any moment that I can have with you. We’ll barely have time to ourselves the next two days…”

“You’re really convincing, Emma… I’m just afraid that I’ll push you too far too soon… And that I’ll scare you away,” Richard said honestly.

“That won’t happen, I promise you.”

“Okay… promise me that you will honestly tell me if we’re moving too fast.”

“I promise you.”

“Well, then… Lead the way, my dear.”

***

Fifteen minutes later, Emma came out of the bathroom, dressed in her pajamas. Richard was sitting on Emma’s bed, the jacket and bow tie lying next to him.

“I’ll just be a minute,” Richard said as he got up from the bed. When crossing Emma’s path, Richard planted a kiss on her head before disappearing in the bathroom. 

While he was gone, Emma hung Richard’s jacket over the chair by the writing desk and set the alarm for the next morning before fluffing up the pillows and the cover. Just when she was about to crawl into bed, the door to the bathroom opened and Richard came back out. Watching him as he walked towards her, only wearing grey boxer briefs and a white t-shirt, Emma’s breath was caught in her throat. Richard slipped into the bed next to Emma, coming to rest within reach of her. Emma immediately scooted closer, resting her head against his shoulder and placing her hand on his chest.

“How is it possible that this feels so natural already?” Emma said quietly, closing her eyes and relishing in the feeling of his warmth and the scent of his skin.

“I have absolutely no idea… It scares the hell out of me… and yet, it feels so wonderful that I have barely any words to describe it,” Richard replied, bringing his lips to her forehead. At the contact, Emma slightly turned to look up at him, only to find him smiling contently.

“It scares me, too… You know… In the past, as soon as someone got too close too fast, I’d chicken out and end the whole thing before it could even start. My friends like to call me the ‘runaway bride’… Minus the bride part of course… But with you… I just haven’t felt the urge to start running… not even once. Which almost scares me even more because the feeling is just so new and unfamiliar… And when I close my eyes and do imagine myself running… it’s only always in _your_ direction… never away from you…”

Richard’s eyes never left hers as she spoke, taking in every word she was saying. He looked at Emma in amazement and the feeling of honor and gratitude made his heart swell up. Instead of saying anything – because really, what was there to say? – Richard touched his free hand to the side of her face and brought his lips down to hers. The contact was brief and tentative but when Richard felt the shiver going through her and heard her take in a shaky breath, he connected their lips for real. It was only a matter of moments before the kiss turned from tender to fevered, Richard gently pushing Emma down and into her pillow as his face hovered above her. As he deepened the kiss, Richard’s hand on Emma’s face slowly started to travel. With feather light touches, his fingers glided along her neck to her collarbone and then to the side, over her arm. Reaching her hand, Richard entwined their fingers and brought their hands up above her head, resting them there. The movement led to Emma’s top sliding upwards a tiny little bit but it was enough to make her tremble as the cold air touched her heated skin. 

Needing to feel more of Richard, Emma brought her free hand to his back, the first initial contact between his shoulder blades making him take in a sharp breath. Spurred on by his reaction, Emma’s hand slid gently up and down his spine, alternating between straight lines and circles, sometimes just touching him with one finger, sometimes with her whole hand. Whenever she reached the seam of his t-shirt however, Emma redirected her hand back up. How long they lay like that, Emma had no idea and, truth be told, she didn’t care. All she cared about was prolonging this moment for as long as she could, never wanting this feeling to end. Her heart was about to burst, the tingling deep within her stomach rapidly expanding. 

After what felt like an eternity, Richard let go of Emma’s hand, bringing his own down to her waist. When he touched the bare skin there, a bolt run through both Emma and Richard and something shifted between them, within them. As if the electricity burned through the last bits of restraint, Richard rolled on top of Emma, coming to rest between her legs, before slowly breaking the kiss. He gazed down into her clouded eyes and she looked more beautiful than ever before. After another moment of intense eye contact, he lowered himself, giving her more of his weight without crushing her, before kissing Emma again. 

At the feeling of his body on top of her, his hardness between her legs pressing into her, Emma thought that she might go mad with the sensations he evoked in her. Finally brave enough, her hand didn’t stop at the hem of his shirt but actually slipped beneath it. Another wave of heat shot through both of them at the contact and Emma felt Richard press against her as he started trembling in her arms. Encouraged by his reaction, she continued exploring his back, touching every inch of skin she could reach. 

Richard broke the kiss once again, only to let his lips travel over her cheek to her ear, nibbling at the skin there. Despite the passion and emotions cursing through Emma, when some air finally flooded her lungs and brain again, she silently whispered Richard’s name.

Pulling back slightly, he gazed down into her eyes, looking for any sign of doubt or regret. When he found neither, he let out a sigh of relief.

“There’s something I need to tell you…” Emma whispered and prayed that she wouldn’t scare him away now.

“Did I do something wrong? Do you want me to stop? You just have to say the word…” Richard said, his voice deep and raspy as he started to roll off of Emma. Not wanting him to go anywhere, Emma locked her arms around his body, keeping him in place.

“No… none of that… I just… I just want you to know that… that… God… why is this so difficult…”

“Just tell me, love… whatever it is, it’s okay…"

Hearing his endearment for her, coupled with the concerned look in his yes, made Emma take in another deep breath, before continuing: "I… well… I only… I’ve only had sex once before… and it’s been a couple of years since then… I just wanted to let you know… because that last… and only time… I…”

Richard cut in by placing the softest and most tender of kisses on her lips, before rolling off of her for real, taking her with him as he came to lie on his back, holding her in his arms.

“I’m so so sorry, Emma… God… see… that’s exactly what I was afraid of… that I would push you into doing something you don’t want.”

“Nooo… no… it’s not that I don’t want to… believe me, I’ve never wanted anything as much as I want you right in this moment… I’m just… a little nervous… and scared… because the last time… it was just one of the worst experiences of my life… and I… you should know that because I don’t want you to misinterpret any possible reaction from my body when we go _there_ … I mean… I don’t know how my body is going to react, of course, because I’ve never been in this situation again… but I know the fear in my head… and I… I just want you to know… And I really hope you don’t think I’m crazy now… because I do want you… more than anything…” Emma rambled, her voice cutting off every once in a while.

“Don’t you ever worry about me thinking that you’re crazy. That’s the last thing I’m thinking right now… I’m just so incredibly sorry that I lost my head there for a second and scared you like that… That was never my intention.”

“No, Richard, please… Don’t you apologize for that! I’m not scared of you… And I trust you, with my body and my soul… That’s why I wanted to tell you… It’s just… after that really crappy experience seven years ago… all the guys that I’ve dated since then… I could never imagine having sex with them… not one of them… the thought alone brought me close to throwing up… until tonight… well… I mean… I guess probably as far back as the moment I saw you at the airport and looked you in the eyes… And now… For the first time in seven years, I can see myself letting someone get close to me again… Looking at you… speaking to you… being held by you… it makes me want to tear down all those walls that I have built around myself the last couple of years… Because you make me feel better about myself than I’ve ever felt before and for that I’ll never be able to thank you enough…” Emma explained and tried to fight the tears that were threatening to spill over.

Hearing the shaking in her voice, Richard put his finger under her chin and made her look up at him. Richard gazed at her for a very long time, trying to decide what to do or say next. The emotions bubbled in the pit of his stomach. Concern, gratitude, anger, hope, jealousy, affection, worry but above all, the deep need to protect her from any harm filled his every being.

“What on earth did that jerk do to you that makes you so afraid?” Richard asked, more to himself than to her, not expecting an answer from Emma.

“It’s probably not so much what he did do… but more what I didn’t do…” Emma started, trying to avert his eyes. Not wanting to have any of it, Richard gently held her face in place.

“Don’t hide yourself from me… You don’t have to tell me, if you don’t want to… but never hide yourself from me, okay?”

Emma nodded slowly, her heart rate finally slowing down a bit. Richard pulled back his hand and Emma snuggled even closer into his embrace, wrapping an arm around his torso. In return, Richard squeezed her tightly, trying to let her know that he would always be there for her.

After a few moments of silence and even breathing, Richard almost thinking that Emma had fallen asleep, Emma started talking quietly. “Charlie… the guy I told you about… we met each other on the internet and after a couple of weeks of chatting and talking on the phone, he came to visit me a couple of weeks before Christmas… I really liked him and stuff… he was nice and intelligent and funny… before his visit, we decided that he wouldn’t need a hotel room but could stay with me instead… that first morning, I woke up to him touching me all over my body, kissing me… I should have thrown him out right in that moment… but then I thought that maybe it was normal… I mean, that’s what people do when they’re in love, right? He left that evening and we agreed on meeting again the weekend before Christmas when he would be on holidays… we decided that he’d be staying with me again… that Sunday, a couple of hours before he had to go home, we were supposed to meet my parents for dinner… we went up to my room before we had to leave an hour later… and then somehow… it just happened… we started kissing and in no time, he had pulled off his pants and mine along with it… he just pushed up my shirt and then he went at it… I really wanted him to stop because it just felt so wrong… but I just couldn’t open my mouth… not even when he pushed into me and it hurt like hell… and then I just wanted him to get over with it… when I lay in his arms afterwards, I cried but he didn’t even notice that…”

While Emma was speaking, Richard caressed her back and arm soothingly, tightening his hold on her. When she came to an end, Richard could feel the warm wetness seeping through his shirt. Looking down at Emma, he saw how she quickly wiped her tears away. 

“Emma, look at me…” Richard gently said and waited for her eyes to meet his. When she did, they were red and puffed and he would have given anything in this world to take away her pain.

“What that guy did to you is unforgivable… and I would just love to have a talk with him… or better yet, punch him in the face!” Richard replied and couldn’t stop his voice from raising a notch.

“Well… in the end, it’s my fault really… I should have just said no when I had the chance… instead I kept my mouth shut and let him do what he did…”

“No, Emma… that’s not an excuse. That’s never an excuse. A man should _always_ know when a woman is ready for him and when she isn’t… _Always_ , okay?”

Emma didn’t know what to say or if she could believe what he was saying, after convincing herself for the past seven years that it’s been her fault alone, so she just nodded very slightly.

“None of this is any of your fault… I know you’re not believing me right now… But I will convince you… I promise you that.”

Instead of saying anything more, Emma leaned up to kiss him lovingly, pouring all the emotions that she couldn’t voice into that one single gesture. He kissed her back gently, with just a much feeling. When they broke apart moments later, they smiled at each other timidly. 

“We should probably get some sleep now…” Richard mumbled as Emma wrapped her arm around him tighter.

“Yeah… it’s been a very long day…” Emma agreed, inhaling the scent of him and burning every nuance of it into her brain, so she would never forget.

“Thank you for every minute of it, my dear Emma,” Richard replied, kissing her on the top of her head.

“No, I have to thank you… simply for being you.” She didn’t see him smiling but when he wished her a good night and sweet dreams, she could hear it in his voice.

A weight lifted from her heart and she felt closer to Richard than ever before. “Sweet dreams, Richard.” The steady heartbeat beneath her head and his warmth seeping into her pulled Emma into a peaceful and dreamless sleep.

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew... Finally that first kiss is written... I don't even want to imagine what it's going to be like to write real smut (Richard is seriously doing crazy things to my hormones)... not that that's going to be that far off in the future anymore... but until then, lets put them through some more convention fun, shall we? 
> 
> As always, I'd be really happy to hear your thoughts about the chapter! Thank you so much already!


	7. Chapter 6 - Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 2 at DwarfCon. More fun. More action. And more fluff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you're all enjoying your weekend so far? Here's the next chapter of Emma's and Richard's story.

_Saturday, May 16th, 2015_

 

“So, what’s my schedule for today?” Richard wanted to know, before taking a sip from his black tea. 

They’d only gotten out of bed an hour earlier, after having argued for a considerable amount of time if they couldn’t just call in sick and stay in bed instead. Despite Emma wanting nothing more than doing just that, she once again had to be the reasonable one and so they had ended up in the breakfast room, Richard currently nipping on his tea while Emma enjoyed her cereals. Every once in a while, someone would walk by and say ‘hi’ or ‘good morning’ to Richard, who always smiled and nodded politely.

“You’ll have your single photo shoot at 10 am, afterwards two hours of autograph session and lunch after that. In the afternoon, there’ll be your single panel before you have an hour off. At 4 pm there’s another meet & greet, at 5 pm another photo shooting, this time with all of the guys and last but not least, a panel with Aidan and Dean at 6pm. You’ll be finished around 7 pm. And tonight, there’s the party where you’re supposed to appear for at least half an hour,” Emma finished, taking a gulp of freshly pressed orange juice.

“Okay… that’s definitely going to be a long day,” Richard mused but if he felt any discomfort, he didn’t show it.

“Yeah… I’m sorry about that. I just hope that it’ll run as smoothly as it did yesterday.”

“Why shouldn’t it?” Richard wanted to know, raising an eyebrow in question.

“Well… Fridays are usually always a little quieter because not everyone is able to make it in time that day. But on Saturday, all of the attendees are there. Plus, there are also the day ticket holders. I’m not worried though, it’s all gonna be okay.”

“Yeah, everything’s going to be okay…” Richard echoed her words but he didn’t sound as convinced anymore.

“Don’t worry, Richard. We’re going to get through today. And then there’s only one more day and you’ll have survived the weekend.”

“I’m not really worried. It’s… you’d think that after all those premieres and events that I’ve attended, I’d be used to it by now but the thought of so many people still makes me feel a little uncomfortable.”

“I can understand that. I’d probably feel just like you. Hmm… May I ask you something?”

“Of course, my dear, you can ask me anything.”

“Why did you decide to attend DwarfCon? I mean… don’t get me wrong, I’m really really happy that you did… It’s just… when it makes you so uncomfortable, why not just hide from it all?”

“Well… you know, usually I really try to avoid such conventions… But I’ve heard so many compelling stories from the guys that I just got intrigued… also, there were so many people on Twitter who really wanted me here… I haven’t been back to Germany since the premiere of _‘The Desolation of Smaug’_ and I really wanted to give something back to the fans… And I am really glad that I’m here because I see how happy it makes everyone… I guess I will just never get used to huge crowds of people…”

“Good morning, Richard.” – “Hello, Richard.” A group of four young girls walked by, smiling and waving at Richard.

Richard, breaking his eye contact with Emma, looked up at the group and mirrored the gesture of waving at them before turning his attention back to Emma.

“Sorry for the interruption,” he said, smiling apologetically.

“Stop it, you don’t have to be sorry for that,” Emma replied, chuckling, “we should probably finish up now anyways. We’ll have to be at the photo shoot in 15 minutes. Do you wanna stop by the green room before that?”

“No… Let’s just take a detour to the rest room and then I’m good to go.”

Ten minutes later, they were on their way to the photo shoot, having just stopped at the rest room moments before.

“Do I look presentable?” Richard asked as they walked down the hallway, a little unsure about himself. 

Emma looked at Richard, studying him carefully even though she already knew what she wanted to say. He wore dark blue jeans that day, with a light blue button-down shirt, a grey, woolen tie and a grey cardigan. Of course he looked presentable. _Very_ presentable. 

Looking first straight ahead and then behind their backs, Emma found them alone on the corridor that would lead them to their destination. Without another warning, she turned towards Richard, putting her hands on his chest and gently pushing him against the wall behind him. Tiptoeing, she brushed her lips against his, with just a little more passion than probably would have been necessary. Immediately, Richard wrapped his arms around her delicate frame, pulling her flush against his body. He returned her kiss with equal passion, a low grumble escaping his chest as Emma’s left hand gently scratched down Richard’s back. After a few moments, Emma broke away breathlessly.

“That’s how presentable you look, Mister. Women will fall to your feet when they see you,” Emma said and moved a step back, gazing at Richard who tried to catch his breath. He looked serious, his piercing eyes dark and clouded. Seconds passed, before a little smiled appeared on his lips. Richard reached for Emma’s hand, bringing it up to his lips and kissing it.

“And here I thought you were shy…” Richard said, amusement clearly audible in his voice.

“Still waters run deep,” Emma replied, winking at Richard sheepishly.

In return, he let out a hearty laugh, before they continued their way down the corridor.

***

The photo shoot flew by in no time. And while Emma had a hard time watching all these women pressing themselves against Richard, some of them in an almost inappropriate way, Richard tried to make it easier for her by smiling encouragingly at Emma between every single take.

Afterwards, they walked to the autograph session together.

“After tomorrow, could you please go back to avoiding conventions again?” Emma asked and despite her added laugh, she couldn’t hide the seriousness vibrating through her voice.

Richard chuckled at her words, reaching for her hand again and entwining their fingers. “Awww… Look… Someone’s jealous.”

As a reply, Emma hit his shoulder playfully, pressing her lips together to suppress another laugh.

“I just don’t like to share. I know I have no right to stake any claim on you but it’s just really difficult, you know?”

Turning more serious, Richard looked at her. “I know that it is, my dear. The thought of hundreds of men touching and hugging you would drive me absolutely mad. But you have to know… it’s just a job… like I said yesterday, none of these women mean anything. I hope you know that.”

“I…” Emma started but broke off, returning his intense gaze. “I guess I know… but like I said yesterday, it doesn’t make it easier to watch… But I’ll get used to it eventually, I promise.”

“I will spend every waking minute I’m with you trying to convince you that you’re the only person I want to hold in my arms…”

A careful smile played around her lips and she nodded. “Okay… Well… I guess, we should get going or we’ll be late…”

Before Richard let go of Emma, he pulled her against his body, wrapping his strong arms carefully around her. He looked down into her eyes seriously, intensely. “You. Are. The. Only. Woman. I. Want. To. Hold. In. My. Arms,” Richard said, drawing out every single word before sealing his declaration with a searing kiss that left Emma dizzy. 

“Yes…” Emma only replied, smiling more contently now.

The hall for the autograph session was already filled with hundreds of people lining up, as Richard and Emma entered. They walked over to their designated table, Richard once again helping adjust Emma’s chair. The gesture was rewarded with a loud ‘awww’ by those who stood nearby and witnessed it all. Emma blushed and Richard squeezed her hand under the table as he came to sit down next to her. While Richard tried the different pens that lay in front of him, Emma filled up their glasses with some water before rearranging the stack of black and white pictures of Richard so that it would be easier to hand them to him. 

The next two hours, Richard signed everything from drawn pictures of him to Hobbit novels, from posters to DVDs, from photographs of him to photographs of the photo shootings the last two days. Every once in a while, when they had a couple of seconds of break, Richard would reach under the table to touch her hand or caress her thigh for a brief moment, making Emma shiver every single time. 

When they walked out of the room two hours later, both Richard and Emma had their hands full of presents Richard had received. 

“Would you like to come up to my room and have lunch there with me?” Richard asked, wanting nothing more than to have a couple of moments of quietness now.

“Uhm… okay… So no lunch at the green room?” Emma wanted to know.

“I’m beginning to think you don’t want to spend time with me… is it because of what happened last night? I’m not going to…”

“Noo… no…” Emma interrupted him before he could say any more. “No, I just don’t want you to think that you have to spend so much time with me… If you want to hang out with the guys, whom you haven’t seen in a while, then that’s totally okay with me…”

Richard came to a halt and gazed at Emma. “I really appreciate you saying that, Emma… But I just want to be alone with you for a little while now… I can hang out with the guys later.”

“Very well then… Up to your room it is,” Emma replied, warmth spreading through her upon his words.

***

After they had finished lunch, Richard having had a schnitzel with fries and Emma spaghetti _frutti di mare_ , they moved to the bed, coming to lie on top of the covers. Emma snuggled close to Richard’s left side, who in return wrapped his arm around her. His free hand, he kept flexing and circling, as if to try releasing the pressure.

“Are you okay?” Emma asked, looking at it with concern.

“Yeah… My hand is just a little sore from all those signatures. I swear, I’ve never signed so many objects in one day.”

Emma looked at his hand a couple more moments, before wriggling out of Richard’s embrace and sitting up, facing him cross-legged. She carefully took his hand into both of hers, and after having rolled up his sleeve, she started to caress his arm carefully. With gentle movements all the way up from his fingers to his elbow, Emma tried to ease his overstrained muscles. She alternated between soft caresses and firm strokes, steadily up and down. For the next fifteen minutes, Emma massaged his hand and arm and was more than once rewarded with deep sighs and low moans. Once she felt his muscles relax, his arm soft in hers, Emma didn’t stop at his elbow anymore but let her fingers travel up his arm to his elbow and then along his collar down his chest. The movement made Richard’s eyes snap open and he watched Emma with hooded eyes. Her hand travelled further down, stopping only at the waistband of his jeans before travelling back up again on the other side. Richard interrupted her ministrations by wrapping his hand around hers and faster than Emma could comprehend, she found herself lying under Richard, his lips capturing her in a passionate kiss. 

“God… woman… what are you doing to me?” Richard asked breathlessly, his eyes boring down into Emma’s. She smiled at him, bringing his hand up to his face in a gentle caress. Richard kissed Emma again softly, before rolling off of her. 

The rest of their lunch break, they spent in companionable silence, softly kissing and caressing. An hour later, they crawled out of bed, Emma helping Richard to adjust his tie and buttoning up his cardigan. Afterwards, Emma smoothed out her hair and reached for her purse, before they went down to the event area.

***

Richard held his ground at his solo panel, honestly answering questions about his work and elegantly eluding questions that were too personal for his taste. By the end of the hour, still dozens of people were standing at the microphone to get their chance at asking a question.

“Last question, folks, before we have to wrap up to make room for the next panel,” Steve, the Master of Ceremonies, said before pointing towards the microphone in the left corner of the room, “Yes, Galadriel, your turn. Thanks for hanging in there so long.”

“Hello, Richard,” the young woman with long, blond wavy hear and a beautiful shimmering, white dress said. “I just wanted to ask you how you’re enjoying Germany so far… have you done or seen anything special?”

Richard paused for a moment, a content smile spreading across his face. He let his eyes drift through the room, finding Emma’s gaze on him and holding it for just a second before turning his full attention back on Galadriel. 

“Oh yes, I have indeed seen and done many special things. I watched a sunset on top of the Main Tower, I took a tour through Frankfurt on a bicycle taxi at night, which was a breathtaking experience. I also travelled to Heidelberg the other day, which was amazing. We went to the old Hortus Palatinus that Frederick the Fifth commissioned for the British princess Elizabeth Stuart. It’s only a garden now but definitely one of the most magical places I have ever been to. So many hidden paths… beautiful flowers… ruins… It definitely was a sight to behold. You know, an elderly couple that took a stroll through the gardens told us that they’re planning on rebuilding the Hortus Palatinus the way the landscape gardener Salomon de Caus intended to build it in the 17th century. While that would also be really impressive I do hope that they will leave it just the way it is now. You can easily picture a young prince chasing after a beautiful maiden over the grounds… or a brave knight fighting a huge dragon at the gates of the castle…” Richard explained and Emma could see the impressed looks on everyone who listened to him. “So yeah… I’m definitely going to take many special memories home with me.”

“Thank you so much for your answer, Richard.”

“Thank you for the question, dear.” Richard replied charmingly.

“I hope we will see you at the party later,” young Galadriel said before stepping away from the microphone.

“You definitely will,” Richard said, slightly nodding. “Listen guys, thank you so much to all of you for being so patient with me, for those amazing questions and for making my first single Q&A ever a really pleasant experience. I hope to see many of you later on! Until then, take care and have a great time!”

Under appreciative clapping and loud screaming, Richard exited the stage where Emma was already waiting for him. Together, they went back to the main area where they decided on attending a lecture about the different heroes in Tolkien’s works. It began with a general definition of a ‘hero’ and ‘heroism’ before moving on to comparing the most obvious, but also some rather unconventional characters to said definitions. Afterwards, Richard had his second meet and greet, that went by just as smoothly as the one the day before. 

The group photo shooting at 5 pm was easily one of the highlights of the convention if the beaming face of Richard afterwards was any indication. Having watched from aside, Emma could feel the chemistry between the dwarves, the way they talked, teased and mocked each other. They had a rough tone amongst each other for a good amount of time, just like their dwarfish characters. Only when they took pictures with women did the gentlemen in them come out and all their cursing and ranting was gone. Emma didn’t understand how they did it but within seconds, they calmed even the most nervous fans down. They joked, they were open to props and poses and played along with everything the fans wanted. When a group of thirteen people that were dressed up as Thorin, Balin, Dwalin, Kili, Fili, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Oin, Gloin, Ori, Dori and Nori, looking like they _just_ jumped out of the big screen, the whole room went silent. Even the guys didn’t know what to say as they stood and admired the group. William and Stephen stepped forward and fell to their knees in appraisal, while Aidan and Dean only looked at each other incredulously. Richard whispered something in Graham’s ear before they both nodded amazed. For such a time-consuming and detailed cosplay, everyone involved was okay with spending some more moments with the group instead of just ushering them through like everyone else. The group of dwarves received many compliments, shoulder claps and hugs before their photo was taken. Seeing how overwhelmed the actors had been, Emma went outside to where the photos were printed and asked the responsible volunteer if it was possible to get six additional copies of the picture. Smiling happily, Emma reentered the room with the pictures in her hand, just as the last photos were taken. After another four shots, the guys were done and on the way over to their PAs, already talking about the other dwarves again.

“That’s definitely a moment I will never forget,” Richard said, his voice still full of wonder.

“See, I told you amazing things happen at DwarfCon. Are you happy now that you decided to come after all?” Graham wanted to know, nudging Richard’s upper arm.

“Indeed, I am. Have I given you any doubt about that those last couple of days?” Richard shot back, smiling pleased.

“No, you haven’t. Though I bet that the convention isn’t the only reason for your happiness,” Graham replied, winking at his friend, just as they came to stand in front of Emma.

“That was pretty neat, huh?” Emma asked the group surrounding her. “I have something for you, guys. I thought that you might want a reminder of this awesome photo shoot,” Emma continued, handing Richard, Graham, Aidan, Dean, Stephen and William their picture. 

“Oh wow. This is amazing! Thank you so much, Emma!” Graham said and wrapped his strong arms around her in a bear hug. The other guys followed Graham’s lead, all thanking Emma with a tight hug, as Richard wearily watched it all happen. At last, Richard stepped closer and with a quick touch of his hand to her cheek, Richard pressed a kiss to her forehead. The gesture looked innocent enough to all the bystanders but Emma was still surprised at Richard’s open display of affection.

Last on the agenda was the panel with Dean and Aidan. As Emma had already expected, most of the questions were for the two younger actors, asked by mostly teenage girls. There were, of course, also reasonable questions, some directed at Richard, some at the three of them, but through the better part of the panel, Richard sat by and watched his dwarf-nephews in amusement. Every once in a while, Richard would search for Emma’s eyes, sometimes catching her already staring at him and sometimes finding her gaze fixated on his colleagues. Those few times irked him more than he would later admit.

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh... Trouble in paradise? There'll be a party... and dancing... though who will be dancing with whom? You'll definitely find out in the next chapter, if you want to :)
> 
> On a side note, I just finished writing the end of the convention and have the rest of the story roughly lined out in my head. I think we'll have about another 5 or 6 chapters to go before their story will come to an end. That's of course, if I'll be able to let them go then.
> 
> Anyways, I'll stop babbling now. If you liked the chapter, I'd be really happy to hear about it! And even if you didn't like it, let me know as well. Constructive criticism is alway very welcome! :) Thank you!


	8. Chapter 6 - Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's alcohol. And dancing. And trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally found a beta reader... Her name is _Siri_ :D I never really had any use of her before but then I accidentally stumbled across the "reading" function and she read the whole chapter to me, actually helping me find a couple of mistakes. So thank you _Siri_ :)
> 
> Also thank you guys for almost 1,200 hits :-O I never would have thought that so many people would take the time to give it a try... and no matter if you stayed with me until this point or gave up after the first couple of sentences (which means you probably won't read this): THANK YOU!! Every single hit makes me extremly happy!

_Saturday, May 16th, 2015_

 

After dinner at a quiet and cozy restaurant not far from the hotel, Richard and Emma were getting ready for the party at their respective rooms. They had agreed on meeting at the elevators at 10:30 pm, joining Graham and Christie, his assistant. William and Stephen had announced they’d already be at the party from the beginning whereas Aidan and Dean wanted to join the group around midnight, when most of the younger attendees would have to leave.

Emma checked her reflection in the mirror one last time, the black cocktail dress shimmering in the dim light of her room. Her flaming red hair fell loosely around her face, the tips almost but not quite reaching her shoulders. Emma had only applied a rosé colored lip gloss, seeing as she never liked to put on tons of make-up in general. 

At 10:28 pm, Emma arrived in the lobby only to find Richard surrounded by a group of four women, one of them waving excitedly with her hand and blabbering while the other three stood by, staring at Richard. Richard looked only a tiny little bit uncomfortable but when he saw Emma walking closer, his face lit up. Not wanting to interrupt, Emma came to a halt a couple of feet away from the group, waiting for Richard to finish up. A couple of moments later, Graham and Christie arrived, both of them joining Emma. When Graham spotted Richard, he snickered quietly. 

“Can you see who uncomfortable he is?” Graham whispered, another chuckle following his words. “You’d really think he’d be used to it by now…”

“Graham McTavish! Are you making fun of your friend?” Emma said with mock seriousness. To that, Graham only laughed even more. The sound must have interrupted the group because only a couple of moments later, Emma could hear Richard’s deep voice apologizing.

“I’m so sorry, ladies, but my friends over there are waiting for me… Thank you so much for keeping me company! It was lovely to meet and talk to you. Maybe we’ll have some more time to chat at the party later on tonight.”

And with that, they said their goodbyes and went into different directions.

“Thanks for saving me there!” Richard growled, pointing first at Emma and then at Graham.

“Sorry, brother, but you really looked like you were having such a great time there,” Graham replied, raising his hands in defense but not able to suppress the laughter any longer.

“Ha ha. Very funny,” Richard grumbled. “I’ve expected no less from Graham… But you…” Richard started, staring intently at Emma, “you have destroyed my trust in you entirely.” 

For a second, Emma didn’t know if Richard was joking or being serious but thankfully in that moment, a slow smile spread across his lips. 

“Don’t scare me like that.” Emma exclaimed, boxing him in his side. 

“Sorry, love, I couldn’t resist. You look really beautiful, by the way,” Richard said, his eyes scanning over her body appreciatively. 

“Thank you, Richard,” Emma replied and returned the compliment. On the way to _Gekko’s Bar_ , the party location, Graham and Richard started talking about the soccer matches of the past afternoon, which gave Emma some time to silently admire Richard’s attire. He was wearing black slacks and a matching black button-down shirt, its first two top buttons left open. He looked once again, breathtakingly handsome, and Emma had a hard time processing the fact that he wanted her in his life. When Emma, so caught up in her thoughts, fell back a few steps, Richard immediately slowed down to wait for her. Crossing the lobby and following the open corridor, they finally reached the bar, loud music greeting them. In front of the bar, Claudia, Mary and her team had set up a huge dance floor, a DJ on the other side of it already firing up the crowd. There was also an additional bar set up outside of _Gekko’s_ and some of the lounge furniture of the lobby was moved in to create more seating possibilities. 

To start the party off for their protégés, Emma and Christie led Richard and Graham into _Gekko’s Bar_ , where, in the far corner of the room, there was a separate area for all the actors, their family and friends, their assistants and the other staff. They crossed the wooden bar right at the entrance, Emma eying the dozens of different whiskey bottles lined along the walls for which _Gekko’s Bar_ was famous for. Emma had to watch her steps, as the tiny group moved through the darkened space, straight between the many chairs and sofas and tables that were placed along both sides of the room. When they arrived at their destination, William and his wife Nicole, as well as their two eldest daughters sat in one corner, joined by Stephen and Tim, a friend of him. 

Everyone was already in a really good mood and it got even better, once the first glasses of beer and cocktails were drowned. Wanting to get them another round of drinks, Richard got up from his seat next to Emma, holding his right hand in her direction.

“Will you accompany me to the bar?” 

As a reply, she reached for his hand, letting him pull her up. They left the secluded area of the VIP section and made their way over to the bar, which was in the opposite direction of where they were placed. The room was filled to the brim, the dance floor crowded and every seat taken. Richard held on to Emma’s hand as they moved through the mass, not wanting to lose her. People kept twisting their heads to get a look at him, some waving others blushing or giggling. Halfway to the bar, two women in their early thirties stopped Richard, politely engaging him in a conversation. Emma stood by, Richard moving their clasped hands behind their backs so as to not upset the women in front of him. 

After about ten minutes of idle chit-chat, they said their goodbyes and Richard and Emma were finally able to continue on to the bar. Just when they had reached their destination and ordered six beers and two cokes, again two women walked up to Richard, smiling brightly. This time, Richard let go of Emma’s hand and turned around to be able to talk properly to them. At first, Emma kept her back to the tiny group to give them some privacy but when she heard one of the female voices asking him for a selfie, Emma turned towards them, the PA in her coming forth.

“I’m really sorry, ladies… but as you know, taking pictures with the actors isn’t allowed at these parties.”

“Oh please, it’s just one picture. It’ll be over in no time,” the woman with dark hair and a blue dress begged.

“I can’t allow that, I’m really sorry. See, Richard and the other actors, they are here outside of work… They just want to party and enjoy the night. They’re just like me and you, so please let’s treat them like that, okay? Otherwise, parties like these won’t be possible anymore. I hope you understand that.”

“Ah… and because Richard is just like you and me, he needs you as a bodyguard or what,” the other woman chipped in, her voice almost bitchy.

Trying hard to stay calm and polite, Emma took a deep breath, looking between the two women while coming up with something reasonable to say. Richard jumped in at that moment, trying to ease the situation.

“Emma is not my bodyguard. She’s my… friend and we’re just trying to enjoy our off time. I don’t want to be impolite or anything but I’m just not allowed to take pictures here. And I don’t want either you or me to get in trouble.”

“You’re right… I’m sorry. Of course, we don’t want any trouble either.”

“Thank you for your understanding. May I invite you for a drink instead,” Richard asked, the gentleman that he was. Richard ordered the two women gin tonics and talked to them for a couple more moments, before he excused himself, pointing at the bottles on the counter.

“Sorry, we really have to get those to our friends or they might die of thirst.”

“Of course! Thank you again for the drinks, that was really kind of you!”

“You’re very welcome! Enjoy the rest of your night, ladies!”

***

By 2 am, the bar was only half full anymore, just as the VIP area was. A good part of the staff had already left, as well as Stephen, William and his family. Dean and Aidan had just come back from walking around the premise and talking to some of their fans, both with satisfied smiles plastered on their faces. Eva and Lisa had waited for their return, and were now about to leave after Emma and Christie had promised to keep an eye out for their guys.

Richard sat right next to Emma on one of the sofas, his whole length pressed against her. With every beer that he drank, and he was on his fourth or fifth by then, he became more clingy, one way or the other always touching Emma.

“You know, I really dislike beer. I’m more of the wine drinking kind of guy… but I tell you… that German beer… that German beer is reeeeeally good,” Richard slurred, wrapping his arm around Emma’s shoulder. “Maybe I should get some wine now… I like wine. Red wine. White wine. Wine is good.”

“Do you really think that mixing beer with wine now is a good idea?” Emma asked, taking another sip from her coke. “Maybe you better get some water?”

“Naaah… There’s water in beer. We should get more beer,” Richard replied, leaning in and whispering those last words into Emma’s ears, making her shiver in his arms.

“First finish this one off. If you go out there now, this one here will be warm. And warm beer sucks. Even German beer.”

“You are absolutely right about that, my love,” Richard whispered again, the word _love_ vibrating through every cell in Emma’s body.

Richard finished off his bottle of beer, just in time with Graham empting his glass of whisky. 

“Join me at the bar, brother?” Graham asked in Richard’s direction, getting up from his seat. 

“Will you be okay for a few moments?” Richard asked Emma, squeezing her shoulder.

“Of course, I will be. Off you go!” Emma said, chuckling as Richard tried to steady himself on his long, shaky legs. She watched the two men disappearing into the crowd, bemused by Richard’s tipsy behavior. She never would have been able to picture a drunken Richard but then again, she had also never seen an actor leaving these con parties sober.

After Richard didn’t return within a couple minutes, Dean and Aidan walked over to Emma and Christie, coming to sit on both sides of Emma. Christie looked at them questioningly but said nothing, chuckling.

“So, my dear… It’s finally time to confess… what the heck did you do to our Richard? I don’t recognize him anymore,” Aidan said.

“What do you mean? He’s exactly like he was a few days ago.”

“That might be… But when we met him in New Zealand, he was different… he was always so closed off… we’ve never really seen him interact with other women when he didn’t have to… except with Cloe, his assistant on set… but even with her, he always kept his distance. He barely touched women and yet with you, he doesn’t seem to be able to keep his hands to himself. We’ve never seen him like that before… Even away from the set, somehow he just always remained Thorin,” Dean cut in, explaining.

“Well… some people are just focused on their work, I guess. Sometimes, life is about more than just the next guy or girl one gets to fuck.”

“You have one dirty mouth, my dear Emma. But of course, you are right,” Aidan took over again. “You still haven’t answered our question though… Come on, tell us… What’s going on between the two of you? Pleeease, tell us!” Aidan almost begged, sliding closer.

“Are you trying to intimidate me with your close proximity? ‘Cause that ain’t gonna work, _my dear_ ,” Emma replied, laughing heartedly.

“You’re immune to my charm? You wound me, Emma.”

“I’m terribly sorry, Aidan. How will I ever be able to make it up to you?”

“Dance with me!” Aidan shot back, without a second of hesitation.

“Are you even able to stand up long enough to do that in your current state?”

“Oh… you would be surprised at all the parts of my body that are able to stand up in my current state,” Aidan replied, winking at her. 

“Oh, shut up and get on that dance floor before I change my mind!” Emma replied and let him lead her away.

The DJ had just started an upbeat song and upon arriving at the dance floor, Aidan and Emma immediately started moving in tune to the music. At first, Emma tried to keep her distance, not wanting anyone to get a wrong idea but Aidan would have none of it and pulled her into his arms. Despite of Emma believing that Aidan was too drunk to dance properly, she couldn’t have been more wrong. He moved in perfect tune with the beat and with his hands on Emma’s hips, he helped her mirror his motion. 

They danced like that through the first song and by the second one, Dean and Christie appeared on the dance floor as well, quickly moving into another corner and away from them. Halfway through the third song, a tall, dark shadow appeared in the right corner of Emma’s field of vision. Turning slightly, Emma found Richard standing in the middle of the dance floor, his gaze sternly fixed on her and Aidan.

“What’s going on here?” Richard asked and all traces of humor and alcohol were gone from his voice.

“I was just keeping your girl here some company,” Aidan replied, chuckling and coming to stand next to Emma.

“Yes. You said it right there. She’s _my_ girl. Get lost, Aidan,” Richard growled. And while Emma had heard the sound before, it now lacked the playfulness of those previous times.

“Hey, calm down, mate. You just shouldn’t have left her alone for such a long time if you don’t want her to spend it like this.”

“That still doesn’t give you the right to dance with _my girl_ …”

“Hey, I’m still standing here. I belong to no one, okay? No one but myself. Now stop with the pissing contest and get over yourselves,” Emma cut in, unsure if she found Richard’s behavior cute or appalling. Trying to get away from them both, Emma turned around and started to walk away. She didn’t come far though, as she felt Richard’s long fingers wrap around her upper arm, holding her back.

“Dance with me,” Richard said, his voice dark and husky. Emma eyed him carefully. He stood tall before her, his grip around her upper arm still strong and firm. Richard radiated heat and masculinity and testosterone. His shoulders seemed broader, his height more threatening and his piercing gaze more intense than ever. His jaw was strained and Emma could see the artery pulsating in his throat. He was breathing heavily, his chest raising and falling visibly. For the first time, Emma realized how truly strong Richard was and how easily he could overpower her without having to try very hard if he only so much as desired it. 

Without waiting for another sign or word, Richard wrapped his arms around Emma’s waist, pulling her flush against him. Every muscle in his body seemed to be tight as he started moving against Emma. Her head was pressed against his chest, his heart beating strong and erect beneath her cheek. They moved in tune with the music, and where Aidan had to lead her to stay in tune with him, with Richard it just came naturally. His heat sipped into her, setting her whole body on fire, reaching even the darkest corners of her soul. Richard’s movements became less controlled and more sensual then, his left hand travelling seductively up and down Emma’s back, only stopping at the base of her bottom. 

“Tell me you’re mine, Emma,” Richard's raspy voice whispered close to her ear before pressing his lips urgently against her temple, not even caring about who might be watching.

Emma pulled back just a tiny little bit to gaze at him. His eyes were intense and clouded; his whole body still rigid. The anger and desperateness was still clearly bubbling just underneath the surface and not knowing how to handle this intense and overwhelming version of Richard, Emma could only do what she did best: run.

“I’m going to bed now. And you will calm down and get the damn alcohol out of your system and then we can talk.”

“But…” Richard tried, not wanting to let her go.

“Good night, Richard,” Emma said and swiftly moved away, disappearing into the crowd.

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I definitely don't like them fighting... but there can't be sunshine all the time. I hope you still liked the chapter :)


	9. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last day of the convention. With some ups and some downs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to apologize for the long delay in bringing the next chapter to you... But I have a good excuse: I went to HobbitCon this weekend and it was absolutely incredible! I met half of my virtual line up in real life, which was totally amazing. Stephen Hunter, William Kircher and Graham McTavish were there this weekend and all of them totally stole my heart. Especially Graham who is a wonderful human being! Some of the guys also had some stories to tell about Richard and I'm just glad that I wrote the dancing part before the convention because otherwise I doubt I would have been able to write it at all without having a fit of laughter. (Apparently, according to John Bell, Richard "dances like a dad" and underlined that statement with the corresponding movements).
> 
> But enough with the gushing and on to the next chapter... In which it's time to spike things up a little. This fanfiction does have a mature rating after all ;)

_Sunday, May 17th, 2015_

Emma had just stepped out of the shower, when a soft knock on her door startled her. Knowing that it could only be Richard at this time of the night, she wrapped the towel tightly around her body before answering the door.

As expected, Richard stood there, looking miserable. His body was still stiff, his eyes still dark and intense but they were now mingled with a kind of sorrow and longing she had never seen before.

“I’m… I’m so terribly sorry, Emma. I have absolutely no idea what has gotten into me. I’m so so sorry… I don’t even know what to say… You leaving me standing there like that was like a slap in the face… I immediately went to Aidan to apologize for my behavior. He only laughed and patted my shoulder… saying that he understood perfectly… he brought me an espresso and told me that he wasn’t the one I owed an apology to… he admitted that he only danced with you in that provocative way to see my reaction. I guess he got what he wanted… And now I’m here… I can’t go to bed without having apologized to you, too.”

Coming to an end, Emma looked at him, taken aback by his honest words. He sounded more sober and collected now, though the influence of those many beers was still undoubtedly there. As a reply, Emma stepped aside, signaling him to come in. 

“You really scared me,” Emma said truthfully, after they sat down on the bed. His eyes turned sad upon her words, taking her hand gently into his.

“That was never my intention… I’m really sorry…”

“It’s… okay… I just… You were so intense… and… and I realized that I could have never stopped you from anything you might have wanted to do in that second… and that feeling was overwhelming… and I don’t deal with overwhelming all that well…”

“God, I’m so sorry… You know that I would never do anything to deliberately hurt you, don’t you?”

“I know, Richard… it’s just… until tonight, I was convinced that no man could ever hurt me again… neither physically nor mentally… and then I realized that you could… with the snap of your finger, you can break me… body and soul… because that’s the kind of power that you have over me. I’m not saying that I’m scared that you _will_ hurt me… it’s the fact that you _could_ , if you wanted… I don’t know if that makes any sense…”

“Please, never worry about that… I’d rather kill myself before I ever had to hurt you.”

“Don’t say something like that… Look… All I want to say is… please be careful with me, okay? You’re already way too deep under my skin…” Emma said, her voice breaking at those last words.

“I promise you… with everything that I am and everything that I have,” Richard replied, sealing his promise with a gentle kiss. And then he was finally back. _Her_ Richard. Her gentle, sensitive and tender Richard. And it was all there in his eyes and in his kiss. His hands caressed her cheek, her throat and her exposed shoulders. His touch sent shivers down her spine and she would have given anything just to get closer to him. As Richard deepened the kiss, a low moan escaped Emma’s throat. Her arm snuck around his neck, pulling him closer. It was in that moment that Richard broke away slowly. 

“We need to stop… or this will get out of hand… and you’re only wearing a towel… which is not helping the situation either…” Richard mused and Emma chuckled.

“Yeah… you’re right… I should probably get dressed…”

“And I should probably go…”

“No, please… stay…”

“Are you sure about that?”

“One hundred percent… I don’t want you to leave.”

“Okay… I’ll stay then. And now get dressed before I’ll peel that towel off of you… and then I’m no longer responsible for your safety.”

A few moments later, Emma was back, Richard already lying in bed. He was only wearing black boxer briefs, his slacks and shirt hanging over the chair in the corner. Emma got into bed, snuggling close to Richard. He was still radiating heat and manliness but it was no longer threatening or scary but tantalizing and alluring. Before Emma had any chance on dwelling on it for too long though, the exhaustion from the day finally caught up with her and within moments, she was pulled into oblivion.

***

When the first rays of sun flooded Emma’s room, her eyes slowly fluttered open. She was engulfed by heat and heaviness, finding Richard lying half on top of her, his face mere inches away from hers. His right arm was wrapped around her upper body while his right leg was nestled between Emma’s legs. Even if she had wanted to, Emma didn’t move, not daring to disturb him in his peaceful sleep. Instead, Emma closed her eyes again, relishing in the feeling of having Richard so close to her. The joy and contentment was only interrupted by thoughts of the following day and the inevitable goodbye that slowly started to invade her mind. Trying to will the sadness away, Emma sighed quietly, pressing her eyes together tightly.

“You okay?” Richard mumbled, startling Emma. She opened her eyes and found him staring at her with a sleepy but concerned look.

“You’re all tensed up,” Richard noted and started to entangle himself from Emma. To stop him from moving, Emma wrapped her legs around his and put her arm over his. In return, Richard propped himself up on his other elbow to get a better look at Emma, who smiled at him but couldn’t keep the sadness entirely out of her face.

“What’s wrong, Emma?”

“It’s nothing…”

“Please… don’t lie to me…”

“Seriously… It’s nothing… I… I was just thinking about tomorrow… And the thought of not having you around anymore is kinda… scary… which is stupid because we’ve only known each other a couple of days… but still… I’m already so used to having you by my side… which is even more stupid… because I don’t know me like that… I used to need time for myself… I used to hate people who couldn’t stand being apart from each other for even a second… and now that I know you… Everything seems to have changed…”

“Believe me… I know how you feel… but we’ll only have to be apart for a couple of days… by next weekend already, I could either come to Munich… or we’ll spend the weekend in Dublin… whatever you like.”

Emma nodded, storing her dark thoughts in the deepest corner of her heart before bringing her hand up to his face. Richard smiled encouragingly at her.

“One step at a time, remember? We’ll make it work. I’ve never been more convinced about something than I am about this,” Richard promised, bringing his lips down to hers. 

Emma kissed him back and it took only seconds of Richard’s soft lips and gentle touch to erase any kind of doubt or melancholia. Deepening the kiss, Richard’s tongue traced her lower lip before Emma slightly opened her mouth in a breathy sigh. As their tongues touched, the feeling of his careful and gentle probing set every nerve ending of Emma’s body on alert. Her hand started moving on its own accord, travelling slowly from his face, over his shoulder and down his chest, the muscles contracting under her tentative touch. When Emma’s hand reached the little trail of hair at his lower abdomen, she let her forefinger slide through it carefully. Richard moaned silently against Emma’s lips, making Emma shake slightly. Being heartened by her response, Richard moved those last few inches and came to lie entirely on top of her, never breaking their contact. Emma could feel the hardness between her legs as he settled himself more comfortably on her. Emma bent her legs, cradling Richard’s waist and with it bringing him even closer to her. When their lower bodies touched for real, Emma thought that she might combust by the sheer pleasure of it. It was becoming harder and harder to breath and thankfully Richard chose that moment to break the kiss, letting his lips move along Emma’s jaw to her ear. He gently nibbled on her earlobe, eliciting another breathy moan from Emma before moving on to her throat. With one last coherent thought, Emma whispered: “Richard… I _am_ yours…”

Richard kissed the juncture of her neck and shoulder, before pulling away and looking deeply into her emerald eyes. 

“But… you said you belonged…”

“To no one… yes…” Emma breathed, trying to catch her breath. “Because you were making a scene and I didn’t want to announce it to the whole world before having said it to you in a private moment... Have I ever given you any reason to doubt me? Because then I seriously have to change something…”

“No… No, you haven’t… Last night… I just… I got really insecure for a second… I mean… Look at Aidan… he’s so good looking… and he’s also so much closer to your age…” Richard mumbled, those last words almost incoherently.

“And he’s also in a happy relationship as far as I know, despite his flirty behavior. Please, Richard… I told you that I don’t care about the age thing… As for Aidan being good looking… That might be true… but I swear… to me – and to many other women out there for that matter – no man is more beautiful, handsome, good looking, cute and sexy than you are. I love how your hair feels so soft in my hands,” Emma said, letting her hand glide over the back of his head. “I love your piercing blue eyes, boring into mine,” Emma continued, her fingers sliding along his right brow. “I love your gentle lips, brushing against mine,” Emma explained, her thumb tracing his bottom lip. “I love your broad shoulders and muscular chest, making me feel safer than I’ve ever felt before,” Emma said, the muscles of his chest trembling under her fingers. “I love your strong arms, wrapped around me in sleep. And I love your long fingers, entwined with mine,” Emma said, her fingers brushing over his and in doing so, he lowered himself down, resting now on his elbows, as their fingers interlocked for a moment. Emma placed her free hand on his chest, just above his heart. “I also love the warmth and gentleness and emotions that are in here,” Emma said, before moving her hand back to his head. “And the wit and intelligence and humor that are in there. Do you want me to go on?” Emma asked at last, her hands stilling.

Richard looked down at her in amazement and instead of saying anything more, Richard pressed his lips against hers in a fevered kiss. He didn’t have the strength to try and be gentle, wanting nothing more than to show her with this single gesture how much she meant to him, how much he needed her and how much he belonged to her just as he wanted her to belong to him. Emma was swept up by the kiss, every nerve ending of her body igniting. Her hands started exploring again, touching every inch of his back that she could reach. This time not stopping at the waistband of his boxer briefs, her fingers gently scratched over his butt, the touch making his hips surge forward. Emma couldn’t suppress the moan as his hardness pressed against her center, goose bumps breaking out all over her body. Emma looked up into his blue eyes that were now at least ten shades darker before he captured her lips in another searing kiss.

Craving the friction and wanting to feel more of Richard, Emma pushed her pelvis up slightly. Within seconds, they were swept up in the sensation of their closeness, Richard pulling slightly back before pressing his hips forward again in a slow and languid slide only to repeat the movement over and over again. He was hitting all the right places, Emma’s hips immediately matching his rhythm. Her heart was about to explode as her hands held on to his sides tightly. She caressed the skin there, his movements speeding up slowly. Richard was no longer able to hold his head up, burrowing it in the crook of her neck, licking, kissing and biting the sensitive skin there. Just when the friction was about to become more than Emma thought she could bear, her hands moved to his boxers, wanting to pull them down. Richard’s head snapped up again, stopping her.

“Please… I need to feel you… inside of me…” Emma whispered, every last rational and coherent thought suppressed by the overwhelming need to get even closer to him, as she kept moving her pelvis against him again and again. Richard bit his lips, groaning. 

“And you will, I promise… but now is not the time,” he explained, his hips not stopping to move. “When we go _there_ … I want to have all the time in the world… I don’t want to have any appointments in the back of my mind… when we make love for the first time, I want to draw out every second as much as I can… and I will not let you out of my bed any time soon afterwards…” Richard’s voice was deep and husky, as they looked into each others eyes. They kept moving against each other, Richard alternating between long, languid slides and quick, hard thrusts, driving Emma nearly insane with it. When Emma couldn’t take it any longer, her hands moved from his sides to his ass, urging him on to push even harder against her. It only took a few more moments before Emma could feel the tingling sensation start deep within her stomach. Feeling her tense, Richard’s thrusts sped up some more and when he started mumbling encouraging words that Emma barely registered, it was all it took to push her over the edge. Emma groaned Richard’s name in a breathless whisper, and he thrust against her two more times before he followed her into oblivion. Richard’s body went limp on top of Emma and she gently wrapped her arms around him to keep him right there. His hot breath puffed against her sweaty neck, as they both fought to catch their breaths. 

Only when their heartbeats had returned to normal did Richard roll off of Emma, pulling her into his arms. 

“I…” Richard started, his voice still shaky.

“That…” Emma began at the same time. She rested her head on Richard’s chest, idly playing with the hair there as she tried to come up with something to say.

“That… that does not make it easier to survive until next weekend,” Emma whispered though her heart didn’t feel as heavy anymore as it did half an hour ago.

“Indeed… but we still have a whole day ahead of us, so let’s not think that far into the future, yah?”

“Yeah, you’re absolutely right. Let’s just enjoy the time that we have.”

As a reply, Richard pressed his lips against the top of her head, the movement making him wince.

“I made a mess… my… pants are wet…” Richard mumbled, trying to get comfortable nonetheless. 

“Stop crying… mine are, too,” Emma shot back, moving her head to look up at him with a sheepish smile. Richard only laughed and they kissed again briefly. 

After another couple of minutes of companionable silence, it was Richard who spoke again.

“I should probably head up to my room now and get a shower… and brush my teeth… I hope I didn’t appal you all too much with my morning breath kisses…”

“Did I – in the last thirty minutes – give you any indication that I was appalled by anything that you did?”

“I guess not…” Richard replied, chuckling.

“Do I have to apologize?”

“No, you don’t… I wouldn’t want to change a second of this morning.”

“Me neither.”

***

Both Richard and Emma started into the day in the best of spirits. During his last solo panel, Richard answered every question with a kind of humor and charm that Emma hadn’t witnessed before. Richard also tackled his last single photo op with the same attitude, throwing secret smiles at Emma between takes. However, by the time lunch came around and the autograph session afterwards, the atmosphere between them started to get heavier again. They held hands whenever the situation allowed them to and stole kisses when they knew no one was looking.

After the autograph session, Emma dropped Richard off at the green room and was about to leave, when his hand grabbed hers. 

“Where are you going?” Richard asked, looking at her with his eyebrow raised in question.

“I’m… just going to walk around for a little while until it’s time for your last panel.”

“Do I have to remind you that you promised you wouldn’t leave my side during the weekend?”

“No… but I’m not supposed to be in there,” Emma replied, pointing to the door of the room.

“You’re supposed to keep me comfortable during the weekend, if I remember right. Plus, the weekend is almost over… so there’s not a lot we can do wrong now, right?” Richard said and without waiting for a reply, he gently dragged her into the green room after him.

Inside, around the table in the far corner, Aidan, Graham and William as well as Claudia and Mary were all gathered with their heads stuck together. 

“Oh, good you’re here, mate,” Aidan said, signing him to join them. “We were just making plans for tonight. Mary and Claudia want to put together a goodbye dinner for us after the closing ceremony. You’ll be there as well, right?”

“I…” Richard started, looking between Emma and the group at the table.

“And you should join us as well, Emma. We don’t want to keep you two apart,” Aidan added, winking at the both of them. 

Mary and Claudia looked at each other uncertainly before turning their attention to the couple standing before them. “Uhm…” Claudia mumbled, clearing her throat. “Sure, Emma. You should be there as well.”

The two organizers excused themselves soon afterwards, leaving the guys and Emma alone.

“They’re never going to talk to me again…” Emma mumbled, after they had left.

“Don’t worry… they don’t know what they’re going to miss not having you in their lives anymore,” Richard replied, trying to comfort her.

“I’m definitely not gonna miss them… Plus, I think I’ll be done with being a PA at conventions after this one is over anyways.”

“Yeah… I would be, too, if I had to look after that grumpy and ill-bred bloke here for a whole weekend,” William chipped in and punctuated his words with a hearty laugh.

“Shut up, Will,” Richard shot back, wrapping his arm around Emma to pull her tighter against his side, smiling and winking at William.

***

“… Ladies, it has been a pleasure to meet each and every single one of you. You’ve made this weekend a truly memorable one. Thank you for everything,” Aidan said to finish his speech before he passed the microphone to Dean.

“I wholeheartedly concur with my brother. It’s been so much fun to meet you guys, to talk to you and party with you. I’ll take some amazing memories with me that I will hold close to my heart for the rest of my life. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart,” Dean agreed, returning the applause he got from the audience by stepping forward and clapping his hands, before touching his heart in a loving gesture. 

William took the microphone from Dean, walking to the edge of the stage. “It’s been my first year at DwarfCon and I really hope that there will be a second time next year. Thank’s for the very warm welcome, not only from me but also from my wife and kids. We all head a wonderful time among you guys and for that I can not thank you enough. Have a safe trip home everyone!”

Next was Stephen, smiling brightly and waving at the crowd: “Thanks to everyone who helped make this year’s con yet another unbelievable experience! To Holly, my assistant, thank you for looking after me those last three days. And to Mary and Claudia, who put this whole thing together not only to honor Tolkien and Peter Jackson and these guys’ work but first and foremost to create a setting where all of us can get together to celebrate. And of course, thanks to all of you! I hope you had as much fun as I did. See you again very soon!” Stephen stepped aside, handing the microphone to Graham.

“To you amazing people: thank you,” Graham started, blowing a kiss to the audience. “Last year had already been a blast… but this year? This year has been truly incredible. You have all been so kind and talented and lovely. I can’t thank you all enough! Christie, my patient guide during those last three days: thank you for taking care of me and for making everything run so smoothly. You’ve done an amazing job! Thank you, Claudia and Mary, for reuniting me with my brothers once again! Here’s to hopefully another DwarfCon next year!” Graham finished and turned around, looking at Richard. “And now a warm applause for the leader of our company, Richard Armitage!”

Richard stepped forward, microphone in hand. His eyes scanned the room for a second, coming to rest on Emma who stood in the back of the room with the other staff. “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for that past weekend which definitely left a lasting impression. Coming to Frankfurt, I had no idea what would await me and it has definitely exceeded all expectations. And that is all thanks to you! You made me feel very welcome among you and I will treasure that experience forever,” Richard said and was rewarded with the loudest applause yet. After it died down, Richard spoke again: “Emma… for your time and your care during the convention and for all the other inestimable gifts you bestowed me with... I’ll be forever grateful…” Emma smiled warmly at him as he got back in line, handing the microphone to Claudia and Mary.

***

“Thank you all for coming to Frankfurt! This has by far been the most relaxed convention we have organized so far and that is all thanks to your open and uncomplicated personalities!” Mary said later, standing at the head of the table next to Claudia, raising their glasses. “Cheers to you, gentlemen! We hope we’ll be able to welcome some – or all – of you back at DwarfCon next year!”

The whole table cheered at them, even Emma who struggled to appear happy. Richard squeezed her hand under the table while fighting his own demons. They hadn’t had any time to themselves since shortly before the closing ceremony and both of them felt that with every passing second, they would have less time alone before the departure the following day. 

After they had finished with dinner, Emma excused herself to go to the restroom. Richard only reluctantly let go of her hand but Emma needed to get away from the group, the jolly babbling of the guys hurting her head. She left the adjoining room of the restaurant but instead of turning left and following the sign to the restrooms, Emma turned right, crossing the main area to the exit. It was already dark outside, the cool and windy air chasing goose bumps down her arms. Emma took a deep breath, her rib cage expanding with much needed oxygen. 

She didn’t know how long she was standing there, when the door to the restaurant was pushed open with a jingle. Emma kept her eyes closed, another deep breath filling her lungs.

“You okay, lass?”

Emma’s eyes snapped open, only to find Graham standing next to her, a cigarette in his mouth. He brought a lighter up to his face, the tiny flame dancing in the wind. Seconds later, Graham exhaled the first tiny cloud of smoke.

“I didn’t know you smoked,” Emma said, eying him curiously.

“I don’t do it very often… only every once in a while… to clear my head… what are you doing outside in the cold?”

“Clearing my head,” Emmy simply replied, a small smile appearing on her face.

“What’s troubling you, sweetheart?”

“It’s nothing really… It’s just been a long week…”

“Yeah… tell me about it… but since I’ve got you all alone here now… time to fess up… what have you done to Richard?”

“Why does everyone keep asking me that?”

“Probably because we’re all not recognizing him anymore. Personally, I’ve never seen him so carefree before. He’s always seemed way too serious and old for his age… It’s really nice to see that other side of him. So whatever you’ve done… keep doing it…”

“I will try my best… then again… tomorrow, our ways will part and who knows what’s going to happen then?”

“What do you want to happen then?”

“I don’t know… I mean… whatever this is between Richard and me… how is it ever supposed to work out? I’m here in Germany… He’ll be in the States most of the times…”

“If you really care about each other, you’ll make it work. Love always finds a way.”

“Hmm…” Emma mumbled, her thoughts drifting to Richard as all his reassuring words and gestures flooded her head.

“Are you in love with him?” Graham asked after a short moment of silence, inhaling the smoke before exhaling it through his nose.

Emma turned her gaze back at him, watching him as he studied her. “I… Richard is… I mean…”

There were another couple of seconds of silence, during which a knowing smile appeared on Graham’s face.

“No need to go on… It’s written all over you face. It’s the same look Richard keeps wearing… and it’s that look and the feelings that nourish that look that will make this thing work. Believe me,” Graham said, wrapping his long arm around Emma’s shoulder and squeezing it.

“I really hope you are right about that…”

“Call me, if I’m not. Because then I’ll come and haunt you two for not fighting hard enough,” Graham said and chuckled, throwing the cigarette to the ground and grinding it. “Let’s get back inside before Richard sends a search party.”

***

“What a day…” Richard mused, Emma snuggling closer into his embrace. They had returned to the hotel about an hour ago and after a quick detour to Emma’s room, where she quickly packed up all her stuff, they were now lying in Richard’s bed.

“Yeah… tell me about it…” Emma replied, nuzzling Richard’s shirt. In return, he pressed a kiss on the top of Emma’s head, squeezing her tightly.

“So… about next weekend… Is there any way I could persuade you into coming to Dublin? We’re shooting on the coast north of Dublin until late afternoon on Friday… After we’re finished, I’ll be off all weekend. We could drive into the country… or just stay in Dublin… It’s really nice there this time of the year.”

“Okay… I guess I could do that… But do you think we’ll get a flight ticket on such a short notice?”

“Of course… As soon as I get into Dublin tomorrow, I’ll take care of it.”

“When will you plane leave tomorrow?”

“7:25 am… While you were under the shower, I already checked in online. I reckon it won’t be too stressful in the morning then…”

“You’re probably right… I’ll take you to the airport, if you want?” Emma suggested even though she knew that it would only get harder to say goodbye with every additional minute they got to spend together.

“I would like that very much,” Richard replied, his fingers drawing small circles on Emma’s back.

“We should probably get some sleep now… It’s already past midnight and we still have to get up early…”

“Yeah… you’re right…” Richard stretched his arm in the direction of the night stand to set the alarm before turning off the light. They nestled back together, Emma resting her head on Richard’s chest.

They lay like that for a couple of minutes, both following their own thoughts. “We will make this work somehow. I won’t let you out of my life,” Richard said at last, his voice even deeper than before. Not knowing what to say and even less trusting her voice right in that second, Emma looked up into Richard’s face. Moonlight was shimmering on his skin, his eyes sparkling in a silver color. She leaned up a little more, gently kissing his lips. Richard brought his hand up, cupping her cheek and holding her close. The kiss didn’t turn passionate or hungry but there was a new kind of desperateness to it that left them both breathless when they broke apart.

Emma smiled at him, even though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. Richard smiled back at her, his thumb tracing her jaw line. Emma leaned in again to place another soft kiss to his lips, before she rested her had back on his chest.

“Good night, Richard. Sleep tight,” Emma sighed, trying to imprint every current feeling into her memory. The feeling of her rapidly beating heart, the warmth flooding her body, the safety upon having his arms around her. 

“Good night, my love.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The convention is over... Time to go back to reality... how will Richard and Emma cope with the distance? I'm really curious myself though I do have some things in mind :) 
> 
> As always, I would really love to hear your thoughts about the new chapter if you have some more moments to spare! To everyone who already commented on the previous chapters: THANK YOU!! From the bottom of my heart! You are the fuel that keeps me going!


	10. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to say goodbye. Time to get back to their every day lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooorry, once again for the delay... Work is a b*tch right now and after 10-12 hours working on a computer I just can't bring myself to spend any more time on a computer... I hope things will slow down again very soon so that updates will come more regularly again. I still hope you enjoy this chapter!

***

“I guess it’s time to say goodbye now…” Richard murmured, his arms wrapped around Emma tightly.

“Yeah… I guess it is… Will you let me know when you arrived in Dublin safely?”

“Of course, I will. And you need to tell me when you arrived in Munich,” Richard replied, loosening his grip on her so they could look at each other.

“Will do. Do you have to go back to set today?”

“Yes. They’ll pick me up from the airport and take me right there,” Richard sighed.

“So not much time to adjust then?” 

“No… not really… your plan still stands that you’ll go back to work today as well?”

“Yeah… I want to at least catch up on my e-mails so I can start from scratch tomorrow.”

“That makes sense, yeah…”

There was a moment of silence, the two of them getting lost in their own little bubble again. 

“I’m really going to miss you…” Emma said, her voice turning sad.

“I’m going to miss you, too. And I really can’t wait for next weekend!”

“Neither can I...” 

They looked at each other silently, Emma drowning in the blue of his eyes. The silence dragged on, neither Richard nor Emma able to let each other go.

“Those last couple of days really has been one of the most intense and amazing times of my life. A week ago, I was really nervous just thinking about the convention. And now, standing here… I couldn’t be more happy that I came to Frankfurt. It changed my life. _You_ changed my life. I know it’s only been six days… but sometimes… when it’s _real_ … it’s all it takes. I know I’ve said it already but thank you again for healing my heart and for healing my faith and for giving me hope that my future might not be so lonely anymore after all.” 

“And you did the same to me, for which I’ll be forever thankful. I wish you could look into my heart because there are so many emotions for which I don’t have the words to describe them. I never thought it’d be possible to feel so connected and in tune with another human being… and then you came along and changed it all. In the most positive ways, of course,” Emma said and despite the sadness still lingering in her heart and a single tear rolling down her cheek, she also felt extremely blessed and thankful right in that moment.

Instead of exchanging any more words, Richard gently wiped away the tear with his thumb before leaning in to place a quick yet gentle kiss on her lips. Because they were standing in the middle of the departure hall with people constantly running by the couple, the kiss didn’t last very long nor did it turn more passionate than it should. After Richard and Emma broke apart, Richard picked up his bag from the floor and hung it over his right shoulder. 

“I really have to go now… Drive safe and don’t forget to tell me when you arrived.”

“Same goes for you. Have a safe trip!”

“See you soon, my dear!”

“Good bye, Richard!”

Richard walked backwards, their entwined hands slowly drifting apart. Another few backward steps later, Richard reluctantly turned around, heading for the security check.

***

_One missed call…_

_** Still on your way to Munich? I just landed and am now on my way to work. I’ll call you later. Miss you! Richard **_

_…_

_** Arrived in Munich a couple of minutes ago. Heading into work now. Can’t wait to hear your voice! Emma **_

***

“Thank God, you’re finally back! Never leave me alone again,” Carl exclaimed as Emma stopped by at his office shortly before lunch break. He jumped up from his chair to hug Emma, before kissing her first on her left and then on her right cheek. Though they’ve used that form of welcome and goodbye for over a year, all of a sudden it felt wrong to have another guy hold her like that.

Emma cleared her throat nervously before breaking away. “Why? What happened?” Emma chuckled, trying to ease her slight discomfort.

“I had to write two bills. And what’s worse, I had to talk to Ms. Bitch. And I missed you. So I repeat, never leave me alone again,” Carl whined and sounded like someone had just destroyed his toy fire truck.

“You know, I did leave you alone before,” Emma shot back and laughed, feeling a little more comfortable now.

“I know… and I didn’t like those times either.”

“Did I miss a lot?” Emma wanted to know, redirecting the conversation to saver topics.

“No, not really. We’ll finally get those credit agreements for the new windmill tomorrow. That will be our number one priority because time is already pressing there. Mike and I are also evaluating a new project, where we’ll have an appointment tomorrow afternoon for the negotiation of the purchasing price. Others than that, there are just a couple of minor things that I couldn’t work off in your absence.”

“Okay… I guess I’ll just catch up on my e-mails now and if I have any questions, I’ll get back to you.”

“You do that. I’m really glad you’re back, Emma,” Carl said again, smiling at her warmly.

“So am I,” Emma replied, torn between feeling happy because she’d been missed and feeling sad because she was the one missing someone now. Emma turned around to leave Carl’s bureau but was stopped by her boss’ voice.

“Dinner and drinks later?” Carl asked and his eyes were on hers as she turned around.

“Uhm…” Emma replied, unsure of what to say. For about a year, Carl and Emma had been going out for either dinner or drinks – sometimes both – at least once a week. At the beginning, they’ve both just seen it as a way to bond and to develop a closer working relationship but gradually their time together had grown from strictly business to a more personal companionship. More than once had their colleagues insinuated them of having an affair, to which they had always just laughed. After they fell into their weekly routine and after Emma felt more and more comfortable around Carl, she did start to develop feelings for him but not wanting to get either one of them into trouble or ruining a perfect working relationship and friendship, Emma ignored those feelings until one day, they just disappeared. 

“Are you okay?” Carl wanted to know, as Emma didn’t reply.

“What? Oh yeah… I’m okay… and sure… Dinner and drinks sounds fine, I guess…”

“You guess? Are you really okay? You look weird…”

“Awww… Ever the gentleman… never one to pass up a chance on paying a compliment,” Emma shot back, winking at him.

“I’m just worried…” Carl replied, raising an eyebrow in question.

“I’m really okay. I’ll head over to my office now and start reading my mails.”

“Talk to you later, Emma.”

“Bye, Carl!”

***

A low buzzing sound pulled Emma out of her thoughts. She rummaged through her purse to find her cell phone, immediately picking up when she saw the caller’s ID.

“Heeeey!” Emma whispered happily, a smile breaking out on her face.

“Hello, sweetheart,” Richard greeted but despite his endearment, Emma could instantly detect that something was off.

“Is everything okay? Are you okay?”

“I’m okay… more or less… It’s been a long day… and I kind of have bad news… But are you okay? How was your day?” 

“I’ll gladly tell you more about my day later… but first I want to know about your bad news… What’s wrong? Did something happen?” Emma asked, her voice becoming slightly unsettled.

“Well… It seems I have to go back to Toronto next week… NBC wasn’t happy with a couple of the _Hannibal_ scenes we did… We have to re-shoot some of them… So they need me there again…”

“Oh okay… and when do you have to leave?” 

“Next Monday… Which means I’ll have to work through the weekend so we can get as many _Pilgrimage_ scenes done as possible.”

“Okay… I understand… how long will you be gone?”

“They said it would take about two weeks to re-shoot the scenes… Then I’ll be back in Ireland for one more week to finish principal photography here. After that, I’ll have ten days off before I have to go back to New York. And I really really want to spend those ten days with you. I’m terribly sorry that I have to cancel next weekend,” Richard explained, no more trace of the hopeful and content Richard from that past morning.

“I… Okay… Well… you have to do, what you have to do. It’s your job after all.”

“I know… And I’m really not happy with it right now,” Richard replied, sighing deeply.

“There’s nothing you can do about it… I guess it’s not the first time something like this happens and it probably won’t be the last… there are always sacrifices that have to be made…”

“I’m sorry that our weekend has to be one of those sacrifices…”

“It’s okay… Like I said: it’s your job.”

“Are you really okay with it?” Richard asked and couldn’t keep the concern out of his voice.

“Yeah… Just one more thing I’ll have to get used to, I guess… I’m just sad and disappointed that we won’t see each other…” Emma replied honestly but deep within her, the bricks of the torn down wall around her heart slowly started to rebuild themselves.

“I know… I am as well… But I promise you, I’ll make it up to you.”

“You just do your job and then we’ll take it from there.”

“Thank you for your understanding…”

“Mh hmm…”

“So, how was your day? I hope work wasn’t too stressful?”

“It was okay… I still have a couple of more e-mails to go…”

“Are you still at work then?”

“Yeah… not much longer though… and then I’ll head out to dinner with Carl.”

“Oh… okay… you go out with your boss?”

“Uhm… no… I wouldn’t say ‘go out’… it’s just dinner… it’s kinda been our thing for over a year now…”

“Okay… very well then…”

“How’s your day been?”

“We only had rehearsals today. We’ll start shooting two hours earlier tomorrow morning so I’m already on my way to the hotel now.”

They kept talking for a couple more minutes until a knock on Emma’s door interrupted them. Seconds later, Carl’s head appeared through the small opening. 

“Oh sorry,” Carl whispered, “Ready to leave soon?” As a reply, Emma only nodded and Carl left without another word.

“Listen… I gotta go now…”

“Alright. Will you let me know when you got home safely?”

“Of course… Enjoy your evening.”

“You, too, my dear. I’ll be thinking of you.”

“Talk to you later!”

The line went dead and Emma’s heart and head fought between being happy to have heard his voice and being sad about not being able to see him in a couple of days. She took a few deep breaths, leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes. When her heart rate slowed down, Emma took another deep breath before she started to clean up her desk and to turn off her computer.

***

“So… tell me… How was Frankfurt? Was Richard nice to you?” Carl asked once they were seated at their usual spot in their favorite restaurant. Carl had just ordered two beers for them before he turned his attention back to Emma.

“The convention was… it was…” Emma began but fell silent, not knowing where to start or what to say. 

“Wow… I don’t remember the last time you were at a loss of words…” Carl chuckled with just a touch of weariness ringing through.

“Yeah… There haven’t been many moments in my life that left me speechless… but that past week… I don’t know how to describe it without sounding like a total sap…”

“Give it a try… Even though I can already see that it left a lasting impression on you.”

“Oh yes… it definitely did,” Emma tried to decide of what to say, feeling a little uncomfortable to talk to him of all people about her feelings but she didn’t want to keep any secrets from him either. After all, Emma considered Carl not just as her boss but also as a friend, seeing as they had a lot of things in common and where also rather close in age. “Well… the convention itself was amazing. Everything went smoothly, the fans were really calm and respectful when they met the actors… the guys were incredibly nice and open in their contact with the fans… it was all just one big party with lots of joy and fun for everyone involved.”

“So… you had a great time? And Richard hopefully was nice to you as well?”

“Yes… he was the nicest of them all… we had an amazing time together…”

“Tell me about him… your eyes are sparkling like I’ve never seen them before…”

“Well… okay… where do I start… Uhm… As you know, I already went to Frankfurt on Tuesday and there was a team meeting shortly after I’ve arrived… well… and then I was asked to pick Richard up from the airport because the driver fell sick… And then we just kind of hit it of… and spent almost every minute together until this morning.”

“So he _was_ nice, yeah? You became friends?”

“He was very nice, yes. And we became…. friends… kind of… yeah,” Emma replied and her cheeks heated up as a shy smile graced her lips.

“You became more than friends?” Carl asked, his eyes probing.

“Uhm… Sort of? I don’t know… I guess, time will tell what we are… now that we arrived back in reality,” Emma said with a sigh, the smile dying away.

Carl studied her carefully, his gaze never leaving her. “Okay… so… do I have to worry now that you’re going to be unfaithful and leave me?” Carl wanted to know, trying to hide the seriousness in his tone with a bright smile.

Emma smiled back at him, wondering when and why the conversation had turned so grave. “No… I guess you’re safe for now. But enough with the question and answer thing… Tell me about your week. What have I missed at work? I didn’t manage to catch up on all my e-mails but from what I’ve gathered there seem to be no evil tidings…”

Emma succeeded in turning the conversation back to saver grounds and they spent the rest of the evening talking about work, about Carl’s week and about the soccer match of their favorite team of the day before. At the end of the night, Carl paid for dinner and helped Emma shrug on her jacket before driving her home, like he always did after their nights out.

***

_** I’m back home now. Heading straight to bed… it’s been a long day. I hope you got to relax a little and that tomorrow won’t be too stressful for you. Emma x **_ __

_** Thanks for letting me know… I’ll sleep better now knowing that you’re home safe. Spent my evening with studying lines and relaxing a little. Hitting the sack now as well. Richard xx **_

_** Don’t let me keep you awake then. Good night and sweet dreams. x **_

_** You are the only one allowed to keep me awake. Always. I’ll be on set from 4 am until around 8 pm… will call you afterwards. Sleep tight, my dear, and sweet dreams. R xx **_

***

The remaining week went by in a blur. Emma’s days consisted only of work and short, five to ten minute phone calls in the evening with Richard. The shooting of _Pilgrimage_ kept him busy all day long and when he finally had time in the evening to call Emma, he was so tired and exhausted that on Friday night, he even fell asleep on the phone while Emma was telling him about her crappy day at work. With every day that passed, Emma’s heart felt little heavier. It was almost midnight on Sunday, when Emma’s phone rang once again.

“Hello, my love,” Richard greeted her, sounding quiet and weary. 

“Hey… everything okay?”

“Yah… Just tired… and I really do not want to leave for Toronto tomorrow. The thought of being at least in almost the same time zone than you are kept me going that past week…”

“I know… It’s only two… well… three weeks…” Emmy replied, trying to encourage him with her words.

“You sound oddly okay with it…” Richard noted.

“Oh, I’m not, believe me… but it won’t help either of us if I let out all those feelings that are inside of me… so I just try to be okay with you going away. It’s only three more weeks…” Emma replied, sounding as reasonable as possible.

“What kind of feelings are you keeping in?” Richard probed.

“It’s not important…”

“But it is… Even when I’m not there with you physically, I still want to know what you’re thinking and what you’re feeling. If this is supposed to work out, we have to be honest with each other at all times…”

“I… I don’t know what to say… I just miss you, you know? And I hate that you’re going to be so far away… and I hate the thought of how this will be our future… after you’ve finished _Pilgrimage_ , you’ll go back to New York… and then what?”

“Then we’ll figure something out that will work for the both of us… and I have absolutely no doubt that we will succeed. I told you… I will not let you out of my life.”

“I know… that’s why I don’t want to let those feelings out… because they’ll only drag me down… and I want to stay positive… as much as that’s possible at least…”

“I understand that… but you have to talk to me about these kind of things… I don’t want to lose that feeling of closeness that we established so far… do you remember that Friday a week ago? When we went to that cello concert and afterwards you let me stay the night with you? Do you remember how you snuggled close to me and I held you and you asked me how this could possibly feel so natural already? I don’t want to lose that… when I get back from Toronto and finish off in Ireland, I want to see you and if you’ll let me stay with you, I want to lie in bed with you and I want to hold you and I want you to say that it still feels natural… And whatever I can do to guarantee that happening, I will do. I promise you… you just have to talk to me… can _you_ promise me that?”

“Yes…” Emma said, wiping away the tears that had pooled in her eyes. “Funny how me encouraging you ended up in you encouraging me now… I’m sorry… I promised myself I wouldn’t make this any harder than it already is…”

“Please stop with the apologizing… We’ll make it through those three weeks… and we’ll make it through all the other weeks that we won’t be able to see each other… You know… I’ve never really believed in destiny or fate… but I do believe that me going to Frankfurt, even though I _really_ did not want to do that in the first place, was my destiny. Just as I was meant to meet you. And that’s why we’ll see through this. Okay?”

“Okay…,” Emma gave in and felt the heaviness in her heart lift a tiny little bit.

They talked for another twenty minutes about their days and about the upcoming two weeks in Toronto. Richard explained what would be awaited of him, about the scenes they had to redo and he apologized in advance for probably not being as talkative as he had been that past week. ”Francis tends to suck my in quite easily… but maybe this time, I won’t get too lost in him… this time around I have something to keep me rooted… _someone_ ,” Richard explained and Emma could hear the content smile through the phone.

“And who might that someone be, pray tell?” Emma joked.

“Oh… you probably don’t know her… she’s the most important woman in my life… which is crazy because you know what?”

“What?”

“I’ve only known her for about two weeks. And already, I never want to let her go again. You have to agree that is pretty crazy, right?”

“Yes… yes, it definitely is. But you know what’s even crazier?”

“Tell me!”

“The same thing happened to me! Not with a woman, obviously… but yeah… it’s really crazy… how high are the chances that something like that happens to the both of us?”

“I don’t know… I’ll call my mate tomorrow, he’s really good at maths. I’m pretty sure he can calculate the odds.”

“Awesome. Let me know when he found the result.”

“Will definitely do,” Richard replied, laughing heartedly. “Thank you, Emma.”

“For what?”

“For making me feel better about going to Toronto… I mean, I’m still dreading to go but at least I feel more reassured about us.”

“Did you have doubts about us?”

“No, sorry, that came out wrong… I never have doubts about us… I just know what my job does to relationships… and I was a little scared that it might kill this one before it had any real chance to even begin… but yeah… I’ll be going with a better feeling now that we had an open and honest conversation about it…”

“Yeah… I’m really glad we could sort out our insecurities….”

“We should probably try and get some sleep now… it’s past midnight for you already… and my flight leaves in a couple of hours…”

“Yes, you’re right. If we sleep now, we’ll be one day closer to seeing each other again…,” Emma noted, sounding a little more optimistic now.

“I like your way of thinking. And I really can’t wait to see you again… There’s something I’ll have to tell you then but _until_ then, know that I’ll be with you in spirit every second of the day. And call me whenever you want to or need to.”

“Okay, I’ll do that. And I’ll be thinking of you, too! Have a safe trip and let me know when you arrived, okay?”

“Of course, my love. Have a good night, sleep tight!”

“Sweet dreams, Richard!”

“I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you, too.”

“Bye, sweetheart.”

“Good bye, Richard.”

“One of us has to hang up now…”

“I know… you go ahead.”

“I don’t think I can… you have to hang up…”

“You’re the guy… you have to be the strong one,” Emma said, laughing quietly. In return, Richard chuckled, the sound healing some of the fissures on Emma’s heart.

“Okay… I’ll be the man then and hang up. Good night for real, this time.”

“Bonne nuit…”

“Bouna notte!”

“Buenas noches!” 

“Wǎn'ān“

“Okay, I’m out of foreign languages now in which I can wish you a good night… So we really should hang up.”

Richard only chuckled again, his voice vibrating. “You are right. I’ll hang up now. I’ll talk to you tomorrow!”

And with that the line went dead, Emma watching Richard’s face disappear from her cell’s display. Afterwards, she turned on the alarm and snuggled closer into her pillow, willing her thoughts to stop and her heart to slow down. It took only a couple of moments, before sleep pulled her in.

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting them back to their normal lives isn't as easy as I thought it would be... Will be interesting to see how they'll cope with those new circumstances :)
> 
> As always, I would really love to hear about your thoughts on the new chapter. No matter if you liked it or hated it, let me know! Thank you so much!


	11. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Absence makes the hard grow fonder? Or maybe not...

***

Wednesday, May 27th 2015 

_Two missed calls…_

_** Sorry, can’t talk. Business meeting. TTYL, Emma x **_

***

Friday, May 29th 2015

_** Glad we finally succeeded in skyping last night. Sorry that I’m so withdrawn after all… Missed your voice. And your smile. Heading into work now. R x **_

_** I missed you, too. Different time zones suck. Emma x **_

***

Monday, June 1st 2015

_** We survived week #1. #2 actually, if you count Ireland as well. Can’t wait to get back. R xx **_

_** I can’t wait either. Emma xx **_

***

Wednesday, June 3rd 2015

_** Are you okay? You’ve been awfully quiet yesterday… Emma x **_

***

Thursday, June 4th 2015

_** Seriously, are you okay? Do I have to get worried? Emma x **_

…

_One missed call…_

_** How do you manage to always call when I’m in a meeting? Emma **_

…

_** Sorry for only getting back to you now. Very long day yesterday. Didn’t want to wake you when I got in. R xx **_

_** You could have texted… I was really worried about you. Emma **_

_** You’re right. I’m really sorry. My work and my social competence are still difficult to combine. R xx **_

_** It’s okay… Have to work now. Sleep tight. Emma **_

_** Are we okay? **_

_** Sure. **_

_** We wanted to be honest, remember? **_

_** I am. Just busy preparing a presentation. Let’s talk later. Emma x **_

***

Friday, June 5th 2015

_** I’m glad we could sort everything out last night. I’m thinking of you. Will call you tonight after I got into NYC. Richard xxx **_

_** Okay. Enjoy your last day in Toronto! TTYL, Emma xx **_

***

“You look really good today, Emma! You got a new hair cut, didn’t you?” Carl greeted Emma, as he stopped by at her office shortly before lunch break, after having only returned from an appointment with their bank.

“Yeah, they were getting too long now… and summer is just around the corner, so I thought I’d let them get shortened. Still have to get used to it though…”

“Well, I really like it. It suits you!” Carl said, smiling at her brightly.

“Thank you, Carl, that’s really nice of you to say,” Emma replied, smiling shyly back at him. 

Carl had always been a very observing and attentive man – something that Emma really liked about him - but those last three weeks since Emma had been back from Frankfurt, Carl had outdone himself, complementing her every other day on either a new shirt or new shoes that she was wearing. 

“I’m just being honest. Hey, will you have dinner with me tonight?”

Emma looked at Carl surprised. “Second time this week?” Emma asked, raising an eyebrow in question.

“Yeah… well… you know that I like spending time with you… and I just thought… you know, it’s Friday and if you don’t have anything better to do I thought we could have dinner…”

“Uhm… Sure… why not…” Emma answered, not knowing how else to reply to his suggestion.

“Great! What would you say to trying out that new Greek tavern down the street?”

“Sounds good to me.”

“Okay, perfect. I’ll make reservations then.”

“Alright. And now let’s get started with work or we’ll never get finished with those damn contracts.”

“Aye aye, boss!” Carl shot back, winking at her. Emma laughed and shooed him out of her office.

***

Emma had just arrived back home shortly after 11 pm, when her purse started to vibrate. Locking the door behind her, Emma quickly shrugged out of her jacket and threw it to the ground before pulling out her cell phone. An unfamiliar number appeared on the display, accompanied with the _Facetime_ button. Not wanting to lose another second by figuring out the foreign number, she pressed on the camera.

After a few moments of black screen and then shaky pictures, the head of Graham McTavish appeared. Immediately, a huge grin broke out on Emma’s face.

“Good evening, sweetheart!” Graham said, smiling brightly.

“Graham! What a surprise!”

“How are ya, lass? It’s so good to see your face!”

“It’s really great to see you, too! And I’m good, thank you. How are you doing, my friend?” 

“Never been better. How have you been? How are things with Richard?” Graham asked and Emma could see how his left hand gestured at something just outside of the picture.

“Things are… good… I guess… It’s been hard… you know? Going from having him around me every second of the day to not seeing him for three weeks now… that’s really difficult…”

“Yah… I can imagine… but stay strong… some things are worth waiting for.”

“I know… some days it’s just harder than others…”

“But you two will be okay, won’t you?”

“Of course… I don’t think I’m able to let go of him…”

Graham nodded with another teeth flashing smile.

“So, what’s new with you? What are you up to these days?” Emma wanted to know, pushing aside her dark thoughts.

“Oh, not much… I’m travelling around for a while… I’m visiting some friends here in New York now and tomorrow evening, I’ll go to London with… uhm… I mean, I’ll go to London to meet up with a casting director. And after that there’ll be a couple of conventions that I’m going to attend… One here in England and then I’ll head Down Under for six weeks to attend two _Supanova_ conventions and the _Armageddon Expo_ in New Zealand. So yah, I’m basically just travelling around,” Graham finished.

“That sounds so exciting! But also very exhausting…” 

“It’s both, yes. Above all, it’s fun though. So I am really excited, yah. Speaking of conventions, have you heard anything from Christie lately? I tried to call her about a week ago but it only said that the number is no longer available.”

“Yeah… she kinda lost her phone… well… I mean… it… fell into the toilet…” Emma explained, trying to suppress a giggle. Graham stared into the camera for a couple of moments before breaking out in a fit of laughter. 

“Are you serious? That doesn’t sound like Christie at all…” Graham said between laughs.

“I know, tell me about it! But I’m nice and will spare you all the gory details because I haven’t been able to get the pictures out of my head since I’ve heard to story…”

“That’s so very kind of you, lass! How shall I ever repay you for that?”

Emma giggled again, poking her tongue out at her display.

“And how will you only repay me if I tell you her new cell phone number?”

“You would do that?”

“Of course… that’s the kind and cordial person that I am,” Emma snickered and then a thought popped into her head. “Hey, speaking of cell phone numbers… where did you get my number from?” Emma wanted to know after a short moment of silence.

Graham chuckled and once again gestured with his hand outside of the picture. 

“Wanna guess where I am, lass?” Graham said and the screen began to shake slightly. Seconds later, Richard’s face appeared above Graham’s left shoulder.

“Hello, love!” Richard said, looking exhausted but happy.

“Wha… I… How?” Emma stuttered, not believing what she was seeing.

“We ran into each other at the airport. And now we’re getting ready to go out for dinner and some drinks,” Graham explained, while Richard stared into the camera.

“What a coincidence,” Emma chuckled, smiling happily back into her cell phone.

“That it was. And since this fellow here became a little twitchy because he apparently promised to call you tonight I thought I’d take the chance to see your lovely face again as well,” Graham said, his eyes twinkling.

“We didn’t wake you, did we?” Richard asked, worry in his eyes for a second.

“Uhm… no… I just came home… I was having dinner with Carl tonight…” Emma replied and watched the worry in Richard’s eyes being replaced by irritation.

“Oh… second time this week?” Richard asked, mirroring Emma’s question from earlier. His voice sounded clipped and his eyes narrowed. 

“Yeah… the alternative would have been to sit home alone on a Friday night… So I decided to hang out with a friend instead,” Emma explained defensively, not wanting to feel bad for going out with Carl when Richard was doing God knows what when he was away.

“Why didn’t you tell me about it?” Richard wanted to know, his eyes sternly fixed on the camera of Graham’s cell phone. 

“Oh please… between the three phone calls and five text messages those last two weeks you expect me to come running to you just to tell you about such an unimportant detail of my day?”

Graham flinched at Emma’s accusatory words before clearing his throat. 

“Okay… I’m leaving… I’m going to write an e-mail to my wife now. You two better figure this out before I get back… because if you don’t, I’ll kick both your asses. And now get to it,” Graham chipped in and handed his phone to Richard forcefully. Richard looked after him as Graham left the room, before turning his attention back to Emma.

“Are you still mad at me for not getting in touch with you more often? I thought we talked about it last night?”

“I’m not mad. I’m just being as irrational as you are right now,” Emma shot back and this time it was Richard who flinched at her words.

“But why did it have to be just the two of you? Why didn’t you bring other friends?”

“Richard, please… I’m not going to discuss with whom I’m going to spend my free time with and with whom I won’t… Are you taking anyone with you and Graham tonight?”

“No… but that’s different…”

“How is that different?? You two have been colleagues and then you turned into friends, if I’m not mistaken?”

“Yes… but we are guys…”

“Okay, seriously… stop it. Carl is a friend, okay? We went to a Greek restaurant, had dinner and a couple of beers and we mostly talked about work because it has been a very long and stressful week. Very romantic, you know? Afterwards, he drove me home and that’s where I am now. I was actually ending the evening earlier because I was looking forward to getting home and talking to you. Had I known you’d make such a scene – again – I could as well have stayed at that restaurant to drink another beer,” Emma finished, pressing her lips together to keep any more words from flowing out. 

While Emma eyed Richard, who was fighting to find the right words, thoughts invaded her mind. Those last three weeks had been very hard on the both of them. Their prolonged weekend in Frankfurt almost felt like a dream now that they’ve both arrived back in reality and their normal lives again. Emma had always been reasonable enough to know that things wouldn’t go on like they had been in Frankfurt but she also never would have imagined how hard this whole distance thing could truly get. She had always been the independent kind of person, enjoying the liberty to do to whatever she wanted to do, whenever she wanted to do them but upon meeting Richard, for the first time it had no longer been scary to let someone close and cut back on that liberty. And just as she was allowing Richard to tear down those walls, he had had to leave. Just as they were about to start exploring that _thing_ between them, they were ripped apart by thousands of miles and hours of time difference. How were feelings and a possible relationship supposed to develop under such difficult conditions? Despite everything, Emma tried to cling to those feelings Richard had invoked in her during their time together because she knew without a doubt that whatever had started between them was special. Even now, while she angrily watched Richard through the camera, the butterflies in her stomach raced and her heart beat sped up; the longing to have him next to her too strong to find accurate words to describe it. 

And then there was Carl, who had been there for her during all the ups and downs of those past three weeks. He hadn’t asked questions when Emma elongated her lunch breaks to clear her head nor was he overly mad at her when she hadn’t been as concentrated as usual during contract negotiations or meetings. More than once during those last three weeks had Emma thanked the powers that be that she had jumped off the Carl ship when she’d still had the chance because in the end, she had won a really close friend whom she didn’t want to miss in her life. Inside of her head, Emma laughed at the thought of her and Carl ever being more than friends. Because compared to the feelings Richard stirred in her? No one had ever made her feel the way she felt when Richard talked to her or smiled at her or held her. And as scary as the thought was, no one probably would ever make her feel that way again. Which was, in the end, the reason why Emma’s defensiveness faded a little while her eyes were still on Richard.

“Look… I really don’t want to fight about this… I miss you… I just really _really_ miss you… every second of the day… and I get that you can’t be _my_ Richard when you work because you have to immerse yourself into your roles… It’s just hard, you know? But I shouldn’t have brought it up again because we already talked about it last night… So I’m sorry…”

“No… I’m sorry… I don’t know what’s wrong with me… when it comes to _us_ … I just get too insecure too easily… There you have someone, who seems to be a really nice guy, who likes you and who likes to spend time with you and who could give you all the things that I can’t… and I’m here, asking myself why you would possibly pick me above someone like him? Someone who’s around, who can take you out on dates all the time…” Richard mumbled and all of a sudden, Emma felt really sorry for overreacting the way that she had.

“You know what I don’t understand? You always emanate so much confidence and masculinity in interviews and on stage or on pictures… you’re adored by millions of women out there… and yet you don’t believe that I would pick you over everyone else? Why is that? Am I doing something wrong? Which might very well be because I _am_ still new at this whole dating thing…”

“Noo… no… You’re doing everything just fine… it’s me who has to come out of my shell… I… I guess… some words have just cut to deep the last time I’ve been with someone… But I shouldn’t take that out on you… not when you’ve been nothing but accepting and understanding… I promise you, I will try to change that… just as I will try to not get so caught up in my characters again.”

“Whatever that woman said or did to hurt you… she couldn’t have been more wrong. As for your promises… I don’t want you to change everything just because of me… if this is how you work then it’s how you should do it… you’re an exceptional actor and one of the veeeery few I actually believe any role that he’s playing… so don’t change that…”

“Thank you for saying that, love… but I still want to change… one of the main reasons why I get so lost in the roles I play is because it’s just easier to stay in character than deal with real life and with the people in it. But I will not allow that attitude to destroy one of the most precious things in my life…”

Emma smiled at Richard warmly, enjoying the feeling of utter contentment spreading through her body. She hadn’t felt like that since the last time she lay in Richard’s arms and the thought of that filled her heart with hope. “Like I said… I don’t want you to change everything… I’m sure we’ll find a middle ground with which we can both live.”

In return, Richard’s face finally lit up again, returning Emma’s smile.

“Will you promise me something?” Richard asked after a considerate amount of goofy smiles later.

“What do you want me to promise you?”

“Promise me that we will get through that last week of the _Pilgrimage_ shooting… The moment I’ll wrap up in Ireland, I will come to you… and I want to pick up where we left off in Frankfurt… I want to take you out on dates and I want you to learn all those things about me that I haven’t told you so far… And I want to get to know everything about you that there is… I want us to get to know each other inside and out and I want us to get to know each other outside of that bubble that was the convention… ”

“And I want the same. So _very_ much… So yeah, I promise you that we’ll get through that last week,” Emma vowed, bringing her left hand up to touch her heart. They smiled at each other again until a loud clapping sound interrupted their moment.

“Thank goodness… I was really beginning to worry that I would have to get violent with you two. So, have you cleared the air now? Can we finally go and have dinner? I’m starving…” Graham said and pushed his head between Richard’s head and the cell phone from the side. Emma chuckled as Richard placed his hand on Graham’s face to brush him aside. “I’ll take this giant here out for dinner now… but I’ll call you tomorrow when I’m alone again,” Richard said while fighting off Graham.

“Alright. I wish you two a pleasant evening then! Enjoy dinner and have fun!”

“It was really nice seeing you again, lass! I hope we’ll be able to meet up again for real in the near future! Oh and will you please text me Christie’s number? Thank you and good night!” Graham said before disappearing from view.

“I’m glad we could sort this out…” Richard said, still smiling at Emma.

“Yes, so am I… and now get ready and have some fun! We’ll talk tomorrow!”

“We will… I lo--… I look forward to it. Sweet dreams, my dear Emma.”

“Good night, Richard!”

They smiled at each other one last time before their screens went black. Moments later, Emma saved Graham’s number before texting him Christie’s new one. With a hopeful feeling settling deep in her stomach, Emma got ready for bed and fell asleep immediately.

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay... I'm honest... this is my least favorite chapter so far... I've read and re-read this chapter too many times, have edited and re-edited more times than I can count. Nothing that I wrote felt right which sucked... I really don't want them to be all romantic and happy and fluffy all the time because I don't want you to get bored... but apparently I also suck at writing angst.... So I will probably refrain from doing it in future and go back to fluff. That's why you guys will probably get an overdose of fluff with the next chapter - which is already finished as well. Don't say I didn't warn you.
> 
> And now I'll shut up... Only one more thing: if you have another moment, please let me know what you think about the chapter! Even if you cringed as many times during reading it as I did during writing it. Thank _you_!! Others than that: have an amazing Sunday you all!


	12. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma and Richard and fluff. That's basically all that chapter is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow... thank you all so very much for taking all my concerns about the last chapter... every single one of your comments made me happier than you will ever know! Truly, from the bottom of my heart: thank you!!

_Beep… beep… beep…_

Emma groaned and rolled around to reach for her cell phone to turn off the alarm. _’Friday… thank goodness… Last day of the week… and only three more days of waiting…’_ Emma threw her blanket to the side and put one foot on the cold, wooden floor. Immediately she pulled her leg back and snuggled into her warm bed again, contemplating for a moment to just stay in for the rest of the day. Closing her eyes, pictures of Richard invaded her mind. Involuntarily her heart swelled up and palpitated against her sternum. Only three more days until she finally would be reunited with him. And then they would finally have time for themselves again and they would hopefully get back on track of nourishing that tender bond that had started to evolve between them almost five weeks ago. Emma prayed that things would get back to the way they were before, once Richard would be with her again. Those last four weeks had undoubtedly been amongst the hardest ones of her life. Not only because she had been missing Richard so much but also because she had started to see a new side of him that had unsettled her. The caring and attentive and warm Richard had been replaced by a colder, more distant and withdrawn version of him and Emma had had no idea how to deal with him being like that. The wall that Richard had torn down during their time in Frankfurt had slowly started to rebuild itself day by day until Emma had become distant as well. Their short phone calls – the few that they had - were mostly about work or other superficial topics but never quite reached the depth of their face to face conversations. Only twice had they really talked about their feelings and the difficult situation they were in but both times they held back, out of fear of destroying even more of the delicate plant that was their relationship. More than once had she asked herself how they were ever going to have a future together if they weren’t even able to survive four weeks of separation when there might be times where Richard would have to leave for an even longer period of time. But the thought of not having him around her at all anymore was even more devastating, so giving up had never really been an option in the end. Then Graham called a week ago and something deep within Emma had clicked, finally allowing her to talk to Richard openly about what she was feeling. And Richard finally opened up to her as well, giving her at least a tiny glimpse into that work-driven mind and into that bruised soul of his. Emma had realized during that conversation that there was still so much more they needed to learn about each other, that there were still so many more character traits and experiences and stories and secrets they had to share. 

Lying there in bed, with the early sunlight streaming into the window above Emma’s head, she had absolutely no doubt that whatever she would still have to discover about Richard, it would in no way diminish the things she was feeling for him. For the first time in her life, Emma thought that she might finally know what being in love really felt like. The moment this thought crossed her mind, Emma’s eyes snapped open and she had to take a deep breath to calm her nerves. Was she really in love with Richard? Could she be in love with someone she had basically only just met? _Love…_ Such a short and tiny word and yet it had the biggest and mightiest power in the world. Emma sighed again. _Yes… there was absolutely no doubt that what she was feeling for him was love._ Her heart swelled up even more, her rib cage slowly becoming too tight. The realization of the depth of her feelings for Richard was so sudden and unexpected and yet so natural and inevitable that it took her breath away for two seconds. She had still absolutely no idea how a relationship could ever work out between them, what their future could possibly look like but there was no doubt in her mind that they would find away. They simply _had_ to; easy like that. Emma took a couple of deep breaths, bringing her hand up to touch her chest just to see if her heart was truly expanding in her chest. 

Just then, her cell phone started vibrating, pulling her back to reality. Richard’s picture appeared on her screen and a grin broke out on her face as she pressed the _Facetime_ button.

“Good morning, good morning! Rise and shine, sleepy head!” Richard said exuberantly, flashing his teeth. Only that they weren’t his real and shiny teeth but a yellow greyish version of them. There was dust all across his forehead and dirt smeared into a beard that didn’t quite look like his. 

“Oh my god… who gave my number to this hideous creature? Am I still dreaming?”

“Oh you wound the heart of a poor, travelling monk! What have I done to deserve such a treatment, oh fair maiden?” Richard replied, turning all serious but still flashing his teeth into the camera.

“The teeth of that poor, travelling monk are hurting my eyes. I think I will have to hang up the phone now. It was very nice talking to you. Not,” Emma replied, coughing out the last word.

“Oh I knew it from the start… you only want me for my name. You truly are wounding my heart. Be a little more gentle, will you, you little minx,” Richard shot back, poking his tongue out.

“Shut up, Frankenstein’s monster!”

“You just wait until I get to you and then I’ll teach you some manners. Is that how you talk to the elderly?” Richard asked and miserably failed at looking threatening.

“Oh please lord… whatever have I done to deserve this?” Emma whined and looked into the sky.

“You look really sexy, by the way. I don’t think I’ve ever told you but despite you looking absolutely fabulous in jeans or skirts or dresses, the look I love the most is the one you wear just after waking up… preferably in my arms,” Richard said, interrupting their playful banter. In return, Emma blushed a deep crimson and pulled the blanket over her face. “Don’t hide, sweetheart… I sadly don’t have much time so please let me see your face for as long as I can.”

Slowly, Emma pushed the blanket aside and reappeared with a shy smile. 

“There you are,” Richard sighed contently. “So… I wanted to ask you something… May I take you out on a date tonight?”

“I… Uhm… Yes, of course… but… how?”

“You’ll see… Would 8:30 pm be okay for you?”

“Uhm… Yes… that would be perfect. I’ll be ready, I guess?”

“Just make yourself comfortable… I’ll call you at 8:30 pm.”

“Okay… I can’t wait… whatever you have planned,” Emma said and smiled, confusion written all over her face.

Richard chuckled, satisfied with himself. “Listen, love, I have to get to set now… Brendan hates it when we’re late… and we only have three more days to finish filming, so he’s extra nervous right now,” he explained, looking at her apologetically. 

“Don’t worry, it’s okay… I have to get ready for work anyways… I’m too late already as it is.”

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t want to keep you.”

“Don’t you dare apologize! I wouldn’t have it any other way. Even though I’ll have to hurry now to catch my bus,” Emma said, shrugging off the blanket and sitting up.

“I’ll talk to you tonight then! Goodbye, sweetheart!”

“Talk to you later!” Emma replied and blew a kiss in the camera. The last thing Emma saw, before the screen turned black, was Richard’s ugly yet charming smile.

***

At 6 pm sharp, Emma shut down her computer and locked away all the documents that were lying around on her desk. When her office was all cleared up, Emma grabbed her jacket and her purse before making her way over to Carl.

“Hey Carl! I’m done for today and would leave now if that’s okay with you?”

Carl watched her as she stepped closer. “Yeah, I think I’ll wrap up now as well. The week has been long enough. Wanna go and grab a beer before heading home?”

“Sorry but I can’t today… I have plans,” Emma replied and smiled happily at him.

“Oh… okay… Is Richard here already?” Carl wanted to know, trying to hide his disappointment.

“No, not yet… He’ll arrive in Munich Monday afternoon…” Emma explained and ignored his intense gaze. “Speaking of which… I wanted to ask you if it would be okay to take off the week after the next one? I mean, we’ll finally be able to sign the loan agreements on Monday and we’ll probably be done with the purchase agreements for _Fallbach_ by Wednesday or Thursday next week… And then things should slow down for a little while…”

While Emma was talking, Carl mustered her wearily while realizing that there was no reason whatsoever to decline her request.

“Uhm… Okay… sure… Yeah… Just don’t leave me alone next week…”

“Of course not. You know that I wouldn’t go on holidays in such an important project phase.”

“Yeah, I know… Thank you for that! Okay… So… I guess it’s time to say goodbye then. Have a nice and relaxing weekend, Emma,” Carl said and got up from his chair.

Emma walked over to his desk, leaning up to kiss his first his left and then his right cheek. “Have an amazing weekend as well, Carl! And finish up here, we’ll get the rest done next week.”

“You’re right. I’ll be done in a couple of minutes I guess.”

“Perfect. See you on Monday then!”

“Bye, Emma!”

Emma turned around and left Carl’s office, bidding goodbye to her colleagues on her way out. Before heading home, Emma took a detour to the nearby supermarket to get her weekend shopping done. Roughly an hour later, she left the shop with a monthly ration of different kinds of pasta, some fresh fruits and vegetables, some body care products and four bottles of _Chardonnay_. After arriving at her apartment, Emma stored her purchasing in her fridge and the lumber-room, before she jumped under the shower to wash off the stress of day. At 8:15 pm, Emma was ready and comfortable on her sofa, just as Richard had ordered her to be. 

Emma was so lost in thought, wondering what possibly could happen that evening that she didn’t even notice how the time flew by. Two minutes before their agreed time, Emma’s phone started ringing and once again, Richard’s picture appeared on her phone. Emma immediately picked up by pressing the _Facetime_ button, only to find Richard waving and smiling at her. From both of his ears, a white cable trailed down his throat and out of the picture. As Emma watched him, mesmerized by the intense blue in his eyes, a red rose appeared in front of his face.

“Hello, sweetheart! This is for you,” Richard said and held the flower closer to the camera.

“Awww… that’s very sweet of you! Thank you so much!” Emma replied, her whole body warming at the romantic gesture. 

“I’ll hold on to it until I see you on Monday. You look absolutely lovely, if I may say so,” Richard complimented her and Emma wondered for a second if he was mocking her or not, seeing as she was only wearing her most comfortable PJs. Either way, his words did the trick and went straight to her heart.

“Thank you! You look really happy right now… I missed that look,” Emma noted, bringing a finger up to trace his face on her screen. “So… what are we going to do tonight?” 

“I want to show you something… I’ve witnessed it the other day and just really wanted to share this moment with you tonight,” Richard explained and adjusted the headset. “Do you understand me properly?”

“Yeah, loud and clear,” Emma approved, once again wondering what would happen now.

“The downside is that we won’t be able to see each other… But I promise that the other view will make up for it. Ready?”

“Ready,” Emma only replied, watching her screen intently. Richard grinned at her one last time before he turned his cell phone around, his face disappearing. Instead, the most beautiful view she had ever seen stretched out before her and sucked her right into the phone. Emma had been so caught up in Richard until that moment that she hadn’t realized where Richard was. Contrary to her belief that he would probably be at this hotel room, Emma now found out that he was indeed outside at some beach. The spot where Richard was sitting gave way to the most breathtaking sight on an even more breathtaking sunset. Across the bay and to the right of the screen a slight hill range stretched itself along the coast. A little left of that hill range, the sun was halfway down already, bathing the sky in an orange golden light. Single, dark clouds hang over the hills, building a stark contrast to the colorful sky around them. 

“Are you still with me?” Richard asked after a couple of moments of silence.

“Yes… Yes…. This is… wow…” Emma only whispered, not a single coherent thought in her mind.

“I know it’s not the same as a real date… but…”

“No buts… this is amazing… Truly amazing…” Emma replied, still at a loss of words.

“We’re up in the North… in a small town called Carlingford… And in my mind, you’re here with me… right next to me… I have my arm wrapped around your shoulder, while your head his resting against my chest. I can feel your hot breath seeping through my shirt, while you’re holding on to my free hand, drawing small circles with your thumb on it,” Richard whispered, his voice low and melodic. Emma closed her eyes for a moment, concentrating only on the sound of Richard’s voice. “The salty and warm air caresses our faces and it’s filled with the smell of water and turf. There’s no one here but us… all we can hear is the splashing of waves as they hit the shore… the hooting of sea gulls as they glide soundlessly through the sky… and our hearts… beating in one rhythm… _duh dumm… duh dumm… duh dumm…_ ” Emma opened her eyes again and suddenly she was there with him, feeling what he was feeling, seeing what he was seeing, smelling what he was smelling. She sighed happily, watching as the sun slowly continued her descent. 

“One day soon, I’ll bring you here… you have to see that with your own eyes…” Richard said, sounding as captivated as Emma felt. 

She grabbed the nearby blanket and wrapped it around her legs before nestling down on her sofa some more. The sun almost touched the hills as a slim grey cloud passed by it. The sky was still on fire, the yellow and orange and golden colors seeming to intensify with every minute that went by. Emma and Richard enjoyed the silence, Emma listening only to Richard’s deep and even breathing as she watched the spectacle of nature. Once again her chest appeared to become too tight for all those feelings she tried to keep inside. While until that past morning, it had all just been one big unidentifiable bundle of emotions, it was all so much clearer now; the longing to look into his eyes again, the desire to have him hold her again, the need to feel his lips on hers again, the yearning to feel his warmth and strength and softness. _Love._ She wanted him, all of him. The good, the bad and everything in between. 

Two thousand kilometers away, Richard took in the beauty before him while he wanted nothing more than to be with Emma again. He wanted her there with him. He wanted to hold her and feel her and kiss her. He wanted to tell her so many things about her, about himself, about _them_. As he watched the sun go down, he fought the need to scream out his longing and love for her. He cursed his job and how it always made the easiest things so damn difficult. Dating Emma should be easy. Looking into the future should be easy. _Planning_ a future together should be easy. _Loving_ her should be easy. But thanks to his work, it wasn’t. No doubt, he had fun at doing his job. It filled him with pride and confidence when he knew that he had succeeded in bringing a character to life to the directors’, the studios’ and the fans’ satisfaction. Every role that he played taught him something about life, made him discover parts of himself that he hadn’t known before. Richard didn’t want to imagine being in a job that would require him to sit in an office or in front of a computer all day long. And yet, in moments like these, when everything could be so wonderful and easy, it wasn’t because his job kept him away from the people and the places he really wanted to be with and at. How long would Emma be willing to keep up with that? _’No… no… that is no question. She will keep up with it forever because I will make sure that things change in a way that will make her willing to keep up with it... End of story.'_

“Are you okay?” Emma asked quietly, not wanting to disrupt their moment.

“Yes, of course. Why are you asking?” Richard replied, taking a deep breath to chase away those heavy thoughts. He wanted to be in this moment with Emma now, enjoy her presence even if only in mind.

“Just curious… you’re breathing changed…” Emma explained while she turned around slightly, taking the lopsided pressure off her back as it had started to hurt.

“You are very observant,” Richard noted, feeling warmth spread through his body upon her words.

“Yes, I am… you can learn so much if you just pay close attention.”

“So, what have you learned so far?” Richard wanted to know, the sunset momentarily forgotten as he listened to her voice.

“Nothing yet… I only know that something sped up your breathing… now you’d need to tell me what that ‘something’ was. Then I would have learned of one thing that has the power to evoke that reaction.”

“Thoughts of _you_ ,” Richard simply said and smiled silently, glad that Emma couldn’t see his face.

“Oh… I hope they were at least good thoughts.”

“Of course, only the best. I might tell you some of them when we see each other next week.” Richard smiled even more, while trying to get more comfortable on the rock that he was currently sitting on. The sun continued her descent without hindrance, with shades of red now mixing up the golden sky. 

“Maybe, if you’re lucky, I’ll tell you some of the thoughts about _you_ that erect _my_ breathing,” Emma replied suggestively, a smile plastered on her face. “No pun intended.”

“Are you sure about that?” Richard asked, pictures of a breathless Emma in his mind.

“Who knows? I guess you’ll find out next week,” Emma stated seriously but couldn’t avert a chuckle breaking free.

“Emma Meyer! Are you flirting with me?”

“Since you _still_ haven’t answered that particular text message from three and a half weeks ago, I still feel no obligation to answer _that_ question,” she shot back confidently and would Richard have been able to watch her, he would have seen a satisfied look on her face.

Richard laughed, his thoughts drifting back to that first day they had met. Had it really only been about a month ago? It certainly felt longer. Thinking back now, he could still feel the weariness that had lasted heavy on his heart with the prospect of the convention. He had been glad that he could get to Frankfurt a few days earlier so there had been at least a tiny chance to relax a little and get used to the idea of the many people that would come to see him, this time with no red carpets and fences to keep him safe. And then he had exited the plane and had entered the arrival hall and when their eyes had met, everything else had seemed to cease to exist. Despite him having felt extremely awkward at her initial shy and helpless behavior, he had felt drawn to her immediately. And after Emma had been so open and honest on their drive to the hotel, he had just known that he couldn’t have let their time end like that. He had wanted to know just a tiny little bit more about her. Had wanted to look into her eyes and to listen to her voice and stories for just a tiny moment longer. So in the end, he just had to ask her to spend more time with him. 

“Yes… I think I might have been flirting with you even back then. It was the first of many times since then that you brought forth sides in me that I hadn’t known before,” Richard explained honestly.

“Is that so?”

“Oh yes… I’m 43 years old… I’m too old for flirting. I am usually also not overly jealous or insecure. And I used to be more of the serious kind of guy… the sound of my laugh had always seemed weird to my ears… and yet, since I’ve known you… flirting with you makes me extremely happy… I also get extremely insecure… and the sound of my own laughter actually doesn’t sound so bad anymore,” Richard said, just before the sun started to disappear behind the hills.

“I love your laugh. No matter how bad I feel or how much I worry… your laugh makes everything better. No matter if it’s a quiet chuckle, a jaunty snicker or a hearty laugh… I know it sounds stupid and cheesy… but it’s the way it is…” 

“Thank you for saying that… your laugh is doing the same for me… I think it’s also one of the things I have missed the most those last three weeks… I can’t remember having heard you laughing a lot on the phone…”

“Yeah… there wasn’t a lot to laugh about, was there?” Emma said ruefully and was thankful that their separation was about to end very soon.

“I know… Things will be very different from now on, I promise.”

There was a moment of silence, both dwelling on their own thoughts as it became slightly darker around Richard.

“I just really can’t wait to see you again… I have a small surprise, by the way…” Emma began before turning quiet again.

“What kind of surprise? See, I also never really liked surprises… But a surprise coming from you sounds about as one of the best things I can imagine.”

“You’re really cute, you know that? As for the surprise… Well… I’m allowed to take the second week of your stay off. There are sadly some important appointments and deadlines next week but coming next Friday, I’ll be all yours to do with as you wish.”

“To do with as I wish? Hmmmm….. all those possibilities…” Richard murmured and Emma chuckled. “No seriously… that sounds delightful! It’s more than I expected. I would have been totally okay with just having you to myself during the evenings and nights… but my holidays just became exponentially better!” Richard replied and just as the sun was fully disappearing behind the hills, he turned his cell phone around and smiled at Emma.

“Oh, hey handsome!” Emma greeted Richard, waving at him. “I’m glad I could make your holidays a little better with these news.”

Richard and Emma kept talking for a little while longer until darkness settled around Richard, who had by then started walking along the shore to keep moving and stay warm. 

When the time counter on Emma’s display hit the two hours mark, they both decided that it was probably time to call it a night. Richard had to get up at 3:30 am again so the night would already be way too short as it was.

“Thank you very much for one of the most romantic dates I’ve ever had,” Emma said, just as Richard reached his hotel.

“It has been a pleasure, my dear!” Richard replied, sitting down on a bench in front of the hotel. “I wish I could kiss you good night now… But I’ll make up for every single good night kiss that I’ve missed those last three weeks.”

“We won’t be doing anything else then on Monday,” Emma laughed.

“And that would be bad how?”

“Oh no… not bad at all. You won’t hear me complaining,” she replied and winked at him.

“Good. Because I might just make up for all those good morning kisses I’ve missed as well.”

“I’ll keep count! Don’t make any promises that you can’t keep, Mister!” Emma snickered.

“I have a lot of stamina, you know? And I fully intend to demonstrate that in every aspect of our lives together.”

“I will be an open and willing recipient of your endurance in every aspect of our lives together.”

“Oh believe me, that you will be… _that_ you will be…” Richard replied, his voice low and raspy.

“You sound very sure of yourself,” Emma noted, his voice and his words reaching every nerve ending of her body.

“I just know what can happen when the two of us are _together_ ,” Richard said and drew out that last word, opening it up to all sorts of interpretations.

“I like the sound of that…” Emma replied, trying to calm her breathing so that Richard wouldn’t hear the effect he was having on her. 

“So do I, my dear, so do I. We will be _together_ very soon. But for that to happen, we need to survive three more nights and three more days. If we go to bed now, we’ll be one step closer to it.”

“You are right. Let’s head to bed then. I’ve bereaved you of enough sleep already.”

“Nonsense. This has been an exceptional evening. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

“I’m glad. Neither would I. Okay, time to say goodbye then… Quick and easy this time, okay?”

“I concur. I wish you a good night and the sweetest of dreams, my love,” Richard began and blew a kiss into the camera.

“Sleep tight and sweet dreams, Richard!” Emma replied and blew a kiss back at him. After a drawn out moment of happy smiles, they both hung up at the same time, before each heading to bed with optimism and hope for the future.

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll let you in on a little secret now... Carl is the only character in this story who really exists respectively who is based on a real character. He's my boss and we have this weird thing going on that is totally messing with my head and my heart. We spend an unhealthy amount of time with each other outside of work and yet nothing ever happens. Which is why I need to get over him. And I feel that this story is helping me with it. Why am I telling you this now, you might ask? I just don't want you to think that Emma is heartless and cruel by not talking to Carl about what is going on between them - which is purly one sided, of course. Emma is so caught up in Richard now that she just doesn't realize what's happening and I personally feel just a tiny bit better about "torturing" Carl for a little while longer (real life Carl would deserve so much more torture!)... But to all of you who raised concerns over this: I will release Carl of his torture in a little while :)
> 
> And now I'll shut up. Sorry for my rambling :) I hope you liked the chapter? If you did (and even if you didn't), I would be forever thankful if you'd let me know! Thank you so much!!


	13. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The big reunion. And that means even more fluff. Just so you're warned ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so so sorry for the long delay. This chapter has been ready since forever, I could just never find the time to update :( I do hope though that the chapter makes up for it :)

Emma was intently watching the time slowly tick by on the screen of her computer. _4:45:32… 4:45:33… 4:45:34… 4:45:35…_ For the last hour, ever since Carl and her had come back from their successful appointment at the bank, time just didn’t want to go by. It stretched more tenaciously than a chewing gum that had been chomped on for hours. _Seriously, could seconds actually_ be _any longer than they were in that moment?_ Emma doubted it. This had to be, without a doubt, the longest hour of her life. And still 30 more minutes to go before she could finally leave to pick Richard up from the airport. Under any other circumstances, Emma would have called it a day and gone home but since _Munich airport_ was located about 30 kilometers outside of town, unfortunately in the exact opposite direction of where Emma was living, it just made no sense whatsoever to leave work now. _4:46:54… 4:46:55… 4:46:56… 4:46:57…_ Emma came to the conclusion that the universe was probably trying to torture her. She had no idea why because she hadn’t killed any spiders or bugs in weeks, had carried up a crate of water for her neighbor the day before, and that past morning on the bus she had offered her seat to a guy with a cast on his leg. So why couldn’t time just go by just a tiny bit quicker? _4:48:01… 4:48:02… 4:48:03… 4:48:03…_ Emma brought the index and middle fingers of both her hands up and put them against her temples, staring at the clock and willing the seconds to tick by faster. 

It was in that moment that a knock on her door startled her back to reality. The sound had come so unexpected, that her heart rate sped up from the shock. 

“Come in!” Emma said in a loud voice, readjusting herself on her chair to give at least the appearance of her still being occupied with work. A moment later, the door opened and Rosie, the receptionist, peeked in.

“Oh, hey, Rosie! What’s up?” Emma asked, waving at her to come in.

“There’s someone here to see you. He said he had an appointment with you. But I couldn’t find anything in your calendar, so I’m a little confused. Do you expect anyone?”

Emma thought for a moment if she could possibly have missed a meeting with anyone but usually her appointments were only always together with Carl and he definitely hadn’t said anything about another appointment that day. Still, for a second her heart dropped at the thought of not being able to leave soon and of not being able to pick Richard up.

“Uhm… No… I don’t think that I do,” Emma replied, scratching her head.

“Okay… that’s weird… Do you want me to bring him in?”

“Yes, sure. The sooner I talk to him, the sooner I’ll be able to leave,” Emma murmured and got up from her chair, quickly putting all the papers and documents on one stack. 

Only mere moments later, Emma could hear the clicking sound of Rosie’s shoes as well as a deeper and heavier footfall come closer. The door to Emma’s office was ajar but Rosie knocked once more before pushing the door open. Towering behind the small and tender little person of Rosie was Richard. Tall, full of confidence and with a bright smile on his face, he swiftly turned his attention to Rosie who stepped aside to make room for him. “Thank you for showing me the way, Rosie, that was very kind of you,” Richard thanked her and bowed his head slightly. Rosie blushed, turned around and left the two of them alone. Richard’s eyes wandered back to Emma, his eyes sparkling. Emma in return was frozen in place, trying to figure out if she was dreaming or awake. 

Richard watched her with a bemused expression, happy that his surprise had the desired effect. “Hello, love!” He finally said, producing a single red rose out of thin air (if Emma had been coherent enough, she would have seen how Richard had pulled it out from the inside of his jacket). “Like I promised, I held on to it until today.”

It was then that Emma made a sound that she didn’t even know she could make: she squeaked. She squeaked and jumped around her table to run the short distance towards Richard. He had only enough time to open his arm and brace himself for the impact and then Emma was already wrapped around him. He closed his arms around her waist and pressed her more tightly against his body. A sense of completeness flooded his entire being and he sighed contently, his grip around her becoming even stronger. 

They held on to each other for seconds or minutes or hours and when they broke apart, they both looked at each more intensely than ever before. Had anybody been watching them, they wouldn’t have been able to deny the feelings that were so freely flowing between them. 

Richard brought his hands up, gently cupping her face before bringing his lips to hers. The kiss was slow and gentle, felt so very familiar and yet so wonderfully new. Oh, how he had missed this. How he had missed _her_. He had no idea, how he was ever supposed to let go of her again. Only now, that he could hold her again, did he realize how much he had truly missed her, how great his longing for her was, how deep his love for her went. And he tried to put it all into that one kiss.

When the kiss turned more urgent, Emma’s heart was about to explode. It had already been difficult to keep it inside of her chest those last few times they had talked on the phone or when she had thought about him. But right in that moment, it seemed like it just wasn’t possible anymore to stop it from jumping out. From jumping into him. Oh yes, she had missed him. More than she could ever find the words to describe it. And if there had been any doubt left about the depth of her feelings for him, it was gone now. She wanted him. She needed him. And she knew that there could _never_ be anyone else for her again. 

Only reluctantly they broke apart, both breathing heavily, fighting to fill their lungs with much needed oxygen. 

“Are you really here?” Emma whispered, still out of breath.

“This better not be a dream…” Richard replied, equally breathless.

“I… how is this possible? I thought you would only arrive at the airport at 6:15 pm?”

“That was the initial plan, yes. But then we already wrapped shooting last night, had a little get together afterwards, so I could leave Dublin this morning. I had a short stopover in London to get some new clothes from my apartment and now here I am,” Richard explained.

“And now here you are…” Emma echoed his words, still not believing that he was really finally back with her again. “You could have called! I would have picked you up!”

“So I would have missed your reaction? No way in hell!” Richard replied and smiled excitedly. 

“Where is your luggage?” Emma wanted to know, taking another deep breath to calm down her nerves.

“I left it in the foyer. Rosie said she’d look after it for me.”

“Okay… okay.” Emma was still so overwhelmed that she didn’t really know what else to say.

“So… how much longer do you have to work?” Richard wanted to know, his gaze drifting through her office.

“I’m all done for today. I was just waiting around here until I could leave. It would have made no sense to go home because the airport is in the other direction…”

“Yah, that makes sense. So I can take you with me now?”

“That you can.” Emma replied and moved out of his arms, starting to lock away the loose documents and folders that were still lying around. Afterwards, she went to the kitchen, to get a vase for the rose that Richard had brought for her. When Emma was ready to go, Richard helped her putting on her jacket, before she grabbed her purse and lead the way outside.

“Just have to say goodbye to Carl,” Emma said, pointing to a door down the hall. A shadow crossed Richard’s gaze for a short moment before it was replaced by a smile again.

“Okay, go ahead,” Richard replied, leaning himself against the wall. 

“Don’t be silly. Come, I want you to meet him,” Emma shot back, holding her hand out for him to join her. 

“Are you sure?” Richard asked but didn’t wait for her reply before entwining his fingers with hers. Emma didn’t say anything more and instead dragged him behind her to Carl’s office. Knocking on his door, Emma waited for the usual, stressed “Come in!” before she opened it.

“Hey Carl, I’m going to leave now… but I wanted you to meet someone before I left,” Emma began and pushed the door open all the way. Richard held on to Emma’s hand tightly, not wanting to let go of her any earlier than necessary. He followed her inside the room, his eyes fixed on the man across the room, who had just gotten up from his chair. Carl in return held the intense gaze of Richard, his eyes only swiftly dropping to the couple’s entwined hands.

“Carl, this is Richard, Richard, this is Carl,” Emma introduced them and only then did Richard let go of her hand in order to being able to shake Carl’s hand. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Richard,” Carl said, sounding closed off but confident.

“It’s nice to meet you, too, Carl. I’ve heard a lot about you,” Richard replied, taking a step back again to ließ his arm around Emma’s shoulder.

“Only good things, I hope?” Carl wanted to know, clearing his throat at Richard’s possessive gesture.

“Of course,” Richard replied courtly. 

Emma watched the both of them wearily, deciding that it was time to break up the conversation. _’They definitely won’t become friends anytime soon…’_ Emma thought before it was her turn to clear her throat.

“Okay… Time to go. I’m tired and want to go home. It’s been a long day.” Emma said and stepped out of Richard’s embrace. “Good bye, Carl, I’ll see you tomorrow.” They kissed each other on the cheeks and Carl’s hand lingered on Emma’s waist for just a second longer than necessary. Emma didn’t even notice it but Richard did and frowned. Deciding that it wouldn’t be worth it, Richard swallowed it down. _’She’s going home with_ you _now_.’

Emma made a quick round at the office, telling everyone goodbye before they went to Rosie to pick up Richard’s bags. Ten minutes later, they were sitting in Emma’s car, fighting their way through Munich’s tiring evening rush hour traffic.

***

“Is it even okay that I’m staying with you? We have never really talked about it…” Richard mumbled, after Emma had closed the door behind him.

“Are you kidding? Like I would voluntarily spend one more minute away from you than necessary…” Emma replied and put her purse on the small cabinet in the hallway. “This way,” she then said, leading the way into the apartment. Halfway down the hallway, the pair came by Emma’s bedroom. She slowly pushed the door open, walking in in front of Richard, who dropped his bags inside the room. Along the wall behind the door, there was a huge, blue closet with mirrors on every second door. Opposite of the closet, on the other side of the room, stood Emma’s comfortable looking king-sized bed under a wide window. The white iron frame of the bed and the baby blue pillows and covers fitted the light blue walls, that had clouds and Walt Disney’s quote _’A dream is a wish your heart makes’_ painted on it. 

“Wow… this is absolutely beautiful. How do you even get out of bed every morning? I’d just want to stay in the clouds all day long,” Richard said, his eyes drifting through the room. 

“Hmm… I wouldn’t object to staying in the clouds with you all day long,” Emma replied and turned around to smile at Richard.

“Now that is a very good idea.” Richard took a step closer towards Emma, entwining his fingers with hers. Emma’s eyes wandered from their clasped hands up to Richard’s eyes, who already looked at her heatedly. His eyes darkened as he leaned in, Emma meeting him halfway as she sneaked her free arm around his waist. When their lips touched, a bolt ran through Emma’s body and at the same time, all the tension within her left her. She sagged against Richard, his arms wrapping around her securely. Their lips moved with each other, gently but surely. A sense of belonging and completeness streamed through Emma’s veins and she wanted nothing more than to stop time and stay in this moment with Richard forever. 

When they broke apart moments later, Emma sighed breathlessly while Richard smiled at her brightly. 

“God, I’ve missed you so much…” Richard whispered, releasing his grip around Emma and brining his hand up to touch her face. His eyes were dark and intense but full of warmth and affection.

“And I’ve missed _you_! I’m so glad that you’re here now and that we get to spend some time together.”

“So am I, my dear.”

Emma grabbed Richard’s hand again, pulling him after her out of the bedroom. Down the dark hallway on the left hand side, they came by the kitchen. “Here’s where I try to not poison myself or the people I cook for,” Emma explained, stepping aside to give Richard a better view of the small but functional kitchen. On the left side, next to a tall fridge was some work space, followed by the sink and the oven. The far side of the room was filled with cupboards and shelves on the wall. In a nook by the window on the right stood a tiny, white bistro table, adjoined by two white chairs with red pillows on them that matched the color of the other furniture in the room. Diagonally opposite of the kitchen was the bathroom, which lay in darkness due to it not having a window. It was, as well, rather small but it had room for a bathtub, a toilet, a sink, a cabinet and a washing machine in the left corner. A door on the right hand side of the hallway lead to the spacious and cozy living room. Opposite of where Emma and Richard were standing there was a wide glass front that lead to a roof-deck, while on Emma’s right hand side, the wall was filled with a large book shelf that covered the whole length of it. The hundreds of colorful books gave the room a happy atmosphere to it. Placed in the middle of the shelf was a flat screen TV with two blu-ray players under it. Vis-à-vis, the huge, greyish-brown sofa looked comfortable and inviting. In the corner to Richard’s left stood a dining table, surrounded by four chairs.

“Aaaand… the favorite spot of my apartment,” began Emma, crossing the room and opening the door to the roof-deck. Richard followed her outside, examining his surroundings mesmerized. On the one side, there was a double hammock with pillows on it and a roof that was folded back. On the other side there was a tiny flowerbed next to a deckchair with a small palm behind it. Richard took a step closer to the balustrade, finding himself enclosed by tall trees and green fields. 

“I absolutely love it here. You’re apartment is amazing! I’m never going to leave this place again,” Richard said in awe, walking over to the hammock. He crawled onto it and patted on the space next to him, looking at Emma expectantly. She returned his gaze, smiling at the fact how naturally Richard moved around. Richard lay down and Emma came to rest right next to him, their arms almost but not quite touching.

“Seriously? Do you want to stay over there?” Richard asked unbelievingly, turning his head in Emma’s direction, his eyes sparkling in the sunlight. Emma smiled at him and snuggled closer, while Richard lifted his arm, welcoming her in his embrace. “That’s better,” Richard mumbled, nuzzling Emma’s hair.

As they lay there, the sun shining down on them, they both enjoyed the warmth and closeness and happiness that engulfed them. Emma listened to Richard’s heartbeat, placing her hand over it. The muscles of his chest contracted under her touch before he relaxed back into the hammock. Richard’s arm around her shoulder pulled her closer and he placed a kiss on top of her head. To keep herself from falling asleep, his warmth and soothing heartbeat making it hard to keep her eyes open, Emma let her hand start to travel over his upper body. His thin, grey t-shirt almost felt like it didn’t exist at all as Emma felt every outline of his well-defined chest. He definitely felt more muscular than Emma remembered and she made a note to ask him about it later. Right in that moment, Emma wanted nothing more then to just feel and experience. Her fingers travelled down over his left side until she reached the hem of his shirt, tracing the seam for a few inches, before she moved her hand up again, alternating between tiny circles and wavy lines. Richard’s breathing became more ragged, his hot breath tickling down Emma’s neck. When she started to repeat the movement of her hand, she felt a pressure on her shoulder, Richard pressing her against his side even tighter.

“I guess I’ve learned of one thing now that has the power to speed up your breathing,” Emma whispered and moved her head so she could look at him. Richard smirked at her before bringing his free hand up to her face, cupping her cheek. He held her in place as his lips descended down on hers, sweeping her up in another gentle kiss. Only that it wasn’t _just_ gentle but filled with a hunger and need that left them both breathless within seconds. Deciding that oxygen was overrated, Richard deepened the kiss, his tongue sliding along Emma’s upper lip before she tentatively opened her mouth to him. Their tongues met and a shiver run through Emma, her wandering hand gripping Richard’s shirt tightly. In return, Richard sucked in a sharp breath through his nose while the fingers on Emma’s cheek slipped to the back of her head, pulling her tighter against his mouth as his lips became more demanding.

How long they kissed like that, neither knew and only when it became too much to bear, they reluctantly broke apart, both panting breathlessly.

“You know… I had all these plans for tonight… I wanted to take you out to dinner…maybe watch a movie… but right now… all I want to do is stay right here with you and hold you and kiss you and never let you go.”

And so that was what they did. They stayed on the hammock and held each other as closely as they could. They kissed, sometimes for a second sometimes for minutes and they touched and sighed and panted and smiled and kissed some more until the sun disappeared behind the trees. When it was entirely gone and a slight wind freshened up the air, Emma went inside to get a blanket, a bottle of Chardonnay and grissini. Richard opened the bottle and filled their glasses while Emma got the grissini out of their package. On Richard’s side, a little tray was adjusted to the holding of the hammock on which they placed their glasses and the grissini, before Emma crawled back to her spot, wrapping the blanket around the both of them. They both took a sip from their glasses and each reached for one of the small, crispy bread sticks as they settled down in each other’s arms again.

After a long moment of comfortable silence, in which they just enjoyed the other’s presence, Richard slightly moved, reaching for Emma’s hand under the blanket and entwining their fingers once again.

“Emma?” Richard whispered, squeezing her hand.

“Hmmm?” Emma mumbled, squeezing his hand in return and turning her head up slightly so she could look at him.

“I… I wanted to apologize for those last four weeks again… I know I’ve been very distant most of the times… and I know that it hasn’t been easy for you… but I want to promise you now, while I can look you in the eyes, that next time I have to leave, I’ll do better, I swear.”

Emma gazed at him and she could see the honesty and sincerity in his eyes. “It’s okay, Richard… we’ve already talked about it… I don’t want you to change the way you’re doing your work,” Emma replied, trying to convince him with her sure words.

“I’ll just have to figure out a way to do my job the way that I’m doing it now while still being able to stay in touch with the outside world. With _you_.”

“If you insist, okay… but promise me that you won’t force yourself into doing something that you don’t want to do. Because the last thing I want is for you to do something just because you _think_ that it’s what I would want….” Emma said, wanting to reassure him as best as she could. “Look, I’m also sorry for having been so bitchy those last four weeks… You’ve warned me that this could happen and yet I still couldn’t handle it. And for that I’m sorry…”

“No, you don’t have to be sorry… I know how hard and difficult it is to build and maintain a relationship with my job… I know that… And I know that it’s not always going to be easy and that I won’t always be around or keep you as happy and satisfied as any oth--”

“STOP. Stop it, Richard… Where is all of this coming from? I know things haven’t been easy so far but I would never _ever_ accuse you of any of that! _Never_ , do you understand?”

“You’re saying that now because we’ve only been in this for a couple of weeks so far… In a couple of months, you might think about it differently… I know that because it happened before…” Richard said before he fell silent. He didn't speak for a couple of minutes and then took a deep breath, continuing: “I came home one day and found _her_ … Martha… with… _him_ … my best friend… and… it broke my heart… and all Martha said the next day was: _’Sorry, Richard… but with your job you’ll never be able to keep a woman satisfied…’_ A week later, I moved out… after three years…”

“That’s horrible, Richard… I can’t even imagine what that must have been like and I pray that I never will have to find out… but believe me… I’m not Martha… I would _never_ do something like that to you,” Emma replied, sounding even more reassuring now.

“I know that you’re not her… and I didn’t want to imply that you were… Sorry, this is going in the wrong direction... Look, what I wanted to say is…” Richard said but broke off again for a second, his eyes intently on hers. “Emma, I love you… I’m _so_ in love with you… and I know it’s not going to be easy but I love you and I promise you that I’ll do _everything_ to make you as happy as I possibly can if you give me the chance.”

Emma’s world stopped spinning, there on the hammock with the stars above them as their only witnesses. “I… wow… this is definitely not where I expected this evening to go…” Emma said, her heart hammering against her chest. 

“If this is too much too soon, I’m so--“ Richard said but was stopped by Emma’s hand being pressed over his mouth. 

“I love you, too, Richard. With all my heart. And I know that it’s not going to be easy but I also know that we’ll always find a way.” 

“God, you are so perfect. And I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you… it feels so good to be finally saying it out loud. I should have told you before I left because I already knew it back then and maybe things would have been different those past four weeks…”

“It’s perfect right here and right now… And I love _you_.”

“Say it again,” Richard begged, slowly leaning in. To actually hear her say those words made him happier than he ever thought was possible. He _had_ wanted to tell her so many times during those last couple of weeks but it had never seemed the right opportunity. So he was intent on telling her tonight, had planned a nice dinner and a walk through the park but because this was life and not some cheesy romance novel, everything turned out differently. Not that he was complaining.

“I love you, Richard,” Emma whispered and closed the distance between them, their lips meeting in a kiss that felt like their first kiss all over again. A new sense of closeness and completeness filled Emma, finally all the pieces of the puzzle falling into place. 

The blanket fell from around her shoulders as Richard turned them around slightly, the underground swaying back and forth. The kiss became more urgent, Richard lying on his side now, his body halfway covering Emma’s. Richard sneaked one of his long legs between hers before they stopped moving again, the hammock stilling underneath them. Richard’s hand started to slide over Emma’s body, reacquainting himself with the feel of her beneath him. She was as responsive to his touch as she had always been and yet, it all felt entirely new. Richard touched every inch of her body that he could reach, making Emma tremble whenever he came to a spot that wasn’t covered by her blouse. In return, Emma’s arms wrapped around his upper body, trying to get him closer to her. Richard hissed against Emma’s lips as he felt another tremble running through her, breaking the kiss and letting his lips travel along her jawline to her neck. 

Every nerve ending in Emma’s body was on fire, need and desire clouding her head. She no longer heard the chirring of the crickets around them nor did she feel the cold of the wind. All she heard was Richard’s heavy breathing and all she felt was the heat he was emanating. When Emma let her hand slip under his shirt, her fingers touching the small of his back, a low moan escaped Richard’s throat. He hungrily nibbled on the skin of Emma’s shoulder and this time it was Emma who moaned, as she felt Richard harden against her hip. Emma’s moan however wasn’t entirely stirred by desire but by frustration as well. Before things could get any more heated, Emma stopped them by placing a hand on his.

“Richard… wait… I… God… I’m sorry… but… I can’t…” Emma whispered, taking a deep breath.

“Gosh… No… I’m sorry, love… I… I got carried away… I’m really sorry…” Richard replied and looked at her apologetically.

“No… no… I… want you to get carried away… And I want to get carried away with you! It’s just… I… it’s _that_ time of the month… And I can’t…”

“Don’t you worry, my love… we have all the time in the world…” Richard said, trying to calm his nerves and his body by taking deep breaths. 

“I’m really sorry…”

“Hey, stop apologizing immediately! It’s totally okay!” Richard underlined his words with a reassuring kiss to her lips before entangling himself from her embrace to lie on his back. With their arms touching, they both stared into the night sky while their heartbeats returned to normal.

“Mhmm… as much as I really want to stay here with you forever… I think we should probably head to bed now? It’s getting late and I want to get up early in the morning so I’ll be able to finish work sooner than usual.”

“I like the sound of that,” Richard agreed and after another moment of silence and deep breathing, Richard moved off the hammock, walking around the holding to help Emma get up as well. 

Half an hour later, Emma emerged from the bathroom only to find Richard already lying in her bed. He was wearing black boxer briefs and a white t-shirt and the sight of him looking so comfortable in her home made her heart swell up. With a bright smile, she walked over to the bed and crawled in beside him.

“Is it okay if I stay on this side of the bed?” Richard asked uncertainly, having chosen the spot closer to the door.

“Of course, it’s very okay!” Emma replied and set the alarm, before turning off the light on the nightstand. She snuggled closer into Richard’s side, his arm wrapping around her. Emma nuzzled his shirt and he smelled of fresh cotton and _Hugo Boss_ , Emma happily having found the bottle of his shower gel now standing amongst her stuff in the bathroom. She pulled the cover tighter around her and moved her head up to look at Richard. They kissed gently one more time before they found a comfortable position to fall asleep in.

“Good night, my love! Sweet dreams!” Richard whispered and pressed another kiss to the top of her head.

“Good night, Richard. I love you!” Emma whispered back, relishing in the feeling of having him so close again.

“I love you, too, sweetheart.”

They fell silent and Emma concentrated on the beating of his strong heart against her cheek. Richard’s breath slowed further down, the movement of his hand on her back ceasing. 

“Richard?” Emma whispered, shortly before falling asleep.

“Hmm?” He mumbled drowsily.

“This still feels very natural.”

Richard squeezed her shoulder gently, pulling her tighter into his side, before they both relaxed. Within moments, sleep pulled them into oblivion.

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it and didn't have to choke because of all the fluff?! In any case, it was lots of fun to write :D


	14. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is a party, dancing and confessions. And fluff, as always.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am **so SO** sorry for not updating this in over a year... I don't even have any good excuse for it except real life getting in the way... But this story has always sticked with me and I've read it from time to time, swearing myself that I would go back to it to finish it. I don't have the best track record of finishing my stories but this definitely wasn't the one I wanted to leave unfinished. While I do think, that "Chapter 11" could have served as an ending as well, there were just a couple of loose endings that I wanted to wrap up. So here I am again and I bring new chapters. There'll be (this one included) three more and an epilogue and they're already finished, so I promise I'll bring this to an end within the next two weeks.

**Chapter 12**

When the alarm went off the next morning, Emma woke up to shimmering, ice blue eyes watching her. The first rays of the sun were just creeping around the corner, bathing the room in a warm and golden light.

Emma turned around to hit the alarm to silence before snuggling back into bed again.

“What are you doing?” Emma whispered, lifting her hand up to Richard’s cheek, caressing it lovingly.

“Watching the woman I love sleeping,” Richard explained as if it was the most obvious thing on the planet. Emma blushed at his words, tempted to pull her blanket over her face again. “Mhmm… How I love that color on your cheeks…” Richard murmured and leaned down to place a chaste kiss on her lips.

“Why are you even awake that early? You’re on holidays, remember? You can sleep in,” Emma stated matter-of-factly.

“Yah… I remember,” Richard chuckled. “It’s going to take a couple of days until my inner clock has caught up with that information as well. But I’ll probably get some more sleep when you’re gone…” 

“You should definitely do that. Sleep, relax and enjoy your off time.”

“I intend to do just that.”

They cuddled for a couple more minutes until the alarm went off a second time. Emma sighed heavily, not wanting to leave the warmth and coziness of Richard and her bed. Only reluctantly did she entangle herself from the sheets before heading to the bathroom to get ready.

When Emma came back to the bedroom thirty minutes later, she found Richard still in bed with his iPhone in his hands. 

“Hey, you okay?” Richard wanted to know as he looked up from his phone and saw her pale face.

“Yeah… why are you asking?” Emma replied and went over to the closet to retrieve a matching scarf for her red blouse.

“You look… pale… are you really okay?” Richard asked again, concern clearly audible in his voice now.

“Yes… I’m okay… Just a little shaky today… which is normal for me… you know… during that time of the month…” Emma explained and her pale cheeks turned pink.

“Oh… okay… I understand… but others than that you are alright?” 

“Yes, I promise,” Emma said before walking over to his side of the bed. She sat down next to him, taking his free hand in hers. “I put the spare key to my apartment on the dining table so you can let yourself back in if you want to go out. I also left you my monthly ticket for the subway on the table if you want to go into town. The subway station is about two hundred meters down the street on the left. If you walk the other way and round the corner on the right and then straight down the road, you’ll reach the _Isar_ , where you can take a walk or something… and if you hand me your cell phone for a second, I’ll download an app with which you can navigate yourself through Munich. You just have to insert the starting and ending point of your trip and it’ll tell you where to go or which subways or busses to take.” 

Richard handed her his phone and locked his arms behind his head, getting comfortable on his pillow. “There, my _mobile phone_ ,” Richard said, emphasizing the last words. “Seriously, I really have to teach you some British or I’ll never be able to take you home to meet my parents.”

At his serious words, Emma looked up from his cell phone, the color draining from her face again. 

“Relaaaax… I’m just kidding,” Richard snickered while Emma pressed her lips together to keep from saying something mean to him. Instead, she dropped his cell phone and, without a second thought, went directly for his armpits. He had next to no time to react before he felt Emma’s hands on his body, tickling the hell out of him. 

“You are a very _very_ mean man, Richard Armitage. How could I ever fall in love with you?” Emma screamed exasperatedly, tickling him with extra force. 

Richard let out a hearty laugh for a second before he brought his hands back from under him, easily stopping Emma’s attack. Instead, he grabbed her wrists in one of his hands, pulling her down and rolling them around until he came to lie on top of her. 

“That was a _veeery_ poor attempt. I might also have to teach you how to tackle a grown man,” Richard teased, holding himself above her. He studied her for a second. “Oh Emma… the things I could do to you now…” Richard murmured, his voice turning deep and raspy. He leaned his head down but seconds before his lips met hers, Emma’s face contorted in pain. 

Without a second of hesitation, Richard rolled off of Emma, looking at her concerned. “Hey, are you really okay?” Richard asked once again.

“Stop worrying, Richard. Everything’s okay. It was just a cramp… I’m gonna take a painkiller as soon as I had breakfast at work. And then I’ll be my old self again in no time,” Emma said and crawled over Richard, her legs resting on either side of his waist. “I gotta go now. If you need anything or get lost or whatever… just call me. I’ll try to hurry up so that I’ll be able to leave work at four pm the latest. You make yourself feel at home here. Eat and drink and do whatever you want.”

“I will do that. And I can’t wait for you to get back!”

“I can’t wait either. I’m really going to miss you.”

“I’m going to miss you, too, love.”

Emma leaned down to kiss him gently, her hand sliding over the stubble on his cheek. She reluctantly broke the kiss after just a few moments, getting off of Richard and with a heavy heart, leaving him there in the clouds.

***

_** Hey sweetheart, are you free tonight? R xx **_

_** I don’t know yet… I’m hoping I’ll have a date with my hot boyfriend tonight. I’ll get back to you after I’ve talked to him. Emma xx **_

_** Who is mean now? R xx **_

_** I’m learning from the best! E xx **_

_** And? R xx **_

_** You’re lucky. I have no plans. E xx **_

_** Then I’ll take you out to dinner tonight. I’ll pick you up later. R xx **_

_** Can’t wait! I’ll be able to leave at 4. Sorry, can’t make it earlier. E xx **_

_** No worries. I’ll be there at 4. R xx **_

***

The days went by in a blur for Emma, due to work being hell. They were working extra hard to finalize the deal with a huge corporate investor, who wasn’t only interested in buying the solar plant they were currently working on but also a couple of windmills in the future. That’s why it was even more important to bring this first project to a successful ending and Emma was working her butt off to ensure that everything was done by the end of the week so that she could take off the upcoming week without a bad conscience.

On Thursday, a day earlier than planned, the contracts were finally signed. And not only did they sign the purchase contract for the solar plant but also, to everyone’s delight, a cooperation agreement for future projects. The huge success was reason enough for Carl to throw a party that very evening, entrusting Emma with the task of last-minute organizing. Since the weather was perfect, Carl allowed Emma to relocate the party from their meeting room to the roof deck of the company, generating enough space to invite the families of everyone as well. Thankfully, ever since Emma had started working for Carl, she had made many important acquaintances that would help her in that moment. Finding a DJ on such a short notice would otherwise have been nearly impossible but the one they had at their last company celebration was luckily free that night as well and happily agreed to do another gig. Finding a caterer took only a couple of minutes as well. _Party Cuisine_ gladly accepted Emma’s offer and due to the short amount of time they had and the fact that they could celebrate outside, they came to an agreement of having a huge barbeque with steaks, burgers, hotdogs and a salad buffet.

By 5:30 pm, the first families arrived. Richard was one of the first ones to be there as well and a huge smile appeared on Emma’s face as he found her in her office, where she was just about to shut down her computer for the day. With a click on the _turn off_ -button, the screen went black just in time with Richard closing the office door behind himself. Emma got up from her chair, closing the distance between them. The last couple of days, they’d only seen each other during the evenings and even those were cut short, since Emma dozed off almost as soon as they sat down on the sofa to watch a movie or lay down on the hammock to watch the stars. Emma had apologized at least a thousand times for being so exhausted but Richard wanted to hear none of it, showing genuine understanding for the amount of work Emma had to deal with. 

“Hey there, beautiful,” Richard said cheerfully, opening his arm for Emma to step into them. She sagged against him immediately and his grip around her tightened, holding her to him while she let out a content sigh.

“I’m so happy you are finally here,” she breathed and for a moment they just stood there in silence, enjoying the closeness they felt. Emma was beyond happy that despite those hectic last couple of days and the weeks of absence before that, everything between them still felt as perfect as it did back in Frankfurt. No, scratch that, it was even more perfect in that moment than it was in Frankfurt because ever since they’d admitted their feelings for each other, things just got more and more intense with every day they got to spend together. 

Emma lifted her head from his chest and looked up into Richard’s eyes. His warm smile filled her with newfound energy after such a long day and reaching up with her hand to touch his face, she brought him closer to her still, the distance between their lips dissolving. At the first contact, a wave of warmth and comfort spread through her, a feeling she never ever wanted to miss again. Richard’s lips moved against hers in a what was at first intended to be an innocent welcome kiss. However, when Emma’s hand glided from his face down to his chest, and further down and around to his back, slipping under his t-shirt, the intensity of the kiss changed in a heartbeat. Emma deepened the kiss, her tongue seeking entrance to his mouth which he gladly granted her. He walked them backwards until Emma was pressed against her desk and with a swift movement, he lifted her up and sat her down on the wooden underground. As if on instinct, Emma’s legs wrapped around Richard’s waist and her hand, still under his t-shirt, gently scratched up along his spine, eliciting a low moan that rumbled through his chest. They continued on like that for minutes or hours, softly stroking, urgently gripping, passionately kissing.

Emma was tempted to pull his blue t-shirt over his head, craving the feeling of his bare skin against hers and the way his teeth gently pulled on her lower lip almost let her forget where they were. Only when Richard let go of her lips and kissed his way along her jaw and to her ear, with it enabling oxygen to finally reach her lungs and her brain again, did she comprehend what was going on. And while she wanted nothing more than to keep going or to take Richard home and to bed, she also knew that she wouldn’t be able to do that, at least not in the way she wanted to in that second and not for another day or two. _Damned be the female body once a month._

Emma sighed heavily and Richard felt the change in her body immediately, pulling his head back to look at her. His eyes were dark and clouded and he, too, breathed heavily. They stared intensely at each other for a moment and without having to say anything, Richard knew what was going on in that beautiful head of hers. A slow smile appeared on his face and he kissed her gently one last time, before he untangled himself and stepped away from her. He took another deep breath, smoothing his t-shirt back into place before extending his hand to her to help her jump off her desk. Not only sliding of the desk but towards him, she wrapped her arms around him and leaned up towards his ear. 

“This weekend…” Emma began, her voice still breathless and raspy from the previous kiss, “you will be mine…”

Her admission was rewarded with a deep rumble and Richard burrowed his head in her shoulder, planting a quick peck on the exposed skin there. Pulling away, Richard echoed her words, his voice equally deep and filled with emotion: “You will be _mine_.”

They smiled at each other and Richard placed his hand in hers, as they left Emma’s office and walked towards the elevators that were to bring them up to the roof deck. The hallways and offices were already empty and they could hear laughter and music in the distance.

***

It was already dark and the full moon projected a silvery light on the top of the building, when the dance floor started to fill up with Emma’s colleagues and their spouses. Emma and Richard had just finished their steaks and potato salad, when one of Emma’s favorite songs started playing. Seeing the smile on Emma’s face, Richard got up from his chair and in a gentlemanly manner bowed, extending his hand to her once again: “May I have this dance?”

Emma’s smile became even wider, as she let him lead her to the dance floor.

_Across the desert plains_  
_Where nothing dares to grow_  
_I taught you how to sing_  
_You taught me everything I know_  
_And though the night is young_  
_And we don’t know if we`ll live to see the sun_

Richard’s arms wrapped around her securely and Emma rested her cheek against his chest, as the tunes and the melody set the rhythm to their movements.

_The best is yet to come_  
_I know, you know_  
_That we`ve only just began_  
_Through the highs and lows_  
_And how can I live without you_  
_You`re such a part of me_  
_And you`ve always been the one_  
_Keeping me forever young_  
_And the best is yet to come_

_Eoh-Eoh_  
_Don`t look now, the best is yet to come_  
_Eoh-Eoh_  
_Take my hand, the best is yet to come_

Emma could feel his hot breath traveling down her neck, before he placed a soft kiss to the crown of her head.

_Thinking of the times_  
_How we laughed and cried_  
_I wouldn`t change a thing_  
_I couldn`t even if I tried_  
_Through the wind and rain_  
_The spirit of our song remains the same_

Emma pulled her head back slowly, looking up into Richard’s eyes. He looked peaceful and the smile he gave her nearly melted her heart.

“Remember the last time we danced?” Richard asked and had to chuckle at the memory.

“Oh yes. How could I ever forget that night? Drunk and territorial Richard was definitely a very interesting experience,” Emma replied, laughing as well.

_And the best is yet to come_  
_I know, you know_  
_That we`ve only just began_  
_Through the highs and lows_  
_And how can I live without you_  
_You`re such a part of me_  
_And you`ve always been the one_  
_Keeping me forever young_  
_And the best is yet to come_

_Eoh-Eoh_  
_Don`t look now, the best is yet to come_  
_Eoh-Eoh_  
_Take my hand, the best is yet to come_

Unbeknownst to Richard and Emma, they had a witness to the private moment they shared. Carl sat in a chair close to the dance floor and while Mike kept rambling on and on about the success of the day and the amount of money they would make with the future deal, Carl had only eyes for _one_ couple between all the others.

_Oh can you feel it in the air_  
_It`s in your heart and everywhere_  
_We got to keep that dream alive_

_We cross another road_  
_And face another day_  
_Soldiers never die_  
_They only fade away_  
_How can we grow old_  
_When the soundtrack of our lives is rock and roll_

Richard loosened his grip around Emma, took her hand in his and twirled her first away and then back towards him. Emma, never having had a dancing lesson before, stumbled on the way back to Richard, crashing against his chest. A hearty laugh erupted from her, drawing the attention of the other couples around them. Emma’s eyes met Carl’s in a quick yet intense moment, before Richard twirled them around once more.

  
_And the best is yet to come_  
_I know, you know_  
_That we`ve only just began_  
_Through the highs and lows_  
_And how can I live without you_  
_You`re such a part of me_  
_And you`ve always been the one_  
_Keeping me forever young_  
_And the best is yet to come_  
_Eoh-Eoh_  
_Don`t look now, the best is yet to come_  
_Eoh-Eoh_  
_Take my hand, the best is yet to come_  
_Eoh-Eoh_  
_Don`t look now, the best is yet to come_  
_Eoh-Eoh_  
_Take my hand, the best is yet to come_

“The best is yet to come…” Richard quietly sang into her ears so that only Emma could hear the words, before the song came to an end. They kept their arms around each other, as they made their way over to the bar, where they ordered a new round of drinks; a glass of Pinot Noir for Richard and a Virgin Caipirinha for Emma, as she would have to drive them home later that night.

Just as they were about to clink glasses, a tall figure appeared in their field of vision.

“I’m sorry to interrupt. But would you allow me to steal my assistant for the next dance?” Carl asked carefully, his body turned towards Richard. Emma could see the thoughts running wild behind Richard’s eyes but with a quick look at Emma, he nodded. 

“Of course,” Richard simply said.

Emma smiled at Richard lovingly and squeezed his hand for a second, before she went to the dance floor after Carl.

***

“You look really happy,” Carl noted, as the moved to the song. Carl was careful to keep the appropriate distance, while his arms had to fight the urge to pull her closer.

“Yes, I am really happy. This day couldn’t have been any more successful workwise. And everything else is just really perfect as well,” Emma explained, a happy smile gracing her face as she looked at her boss. 

“You love him, don’t you?” Carl asked after a short moment of silence. He looked at her expectantly, curious yet dreading the answer. Emma could see the dilemma on his face, trying to figure out how to answer that question.

“I do, indeed. It hasn’t been easy those last couple of weeks but I hope we’ll figure out a way for us to make it work.”

“May I confess something?” Carl asked as his movements slowed down. 

“Of course. I thought we always talked about anything?”

“Yeah… You’re right… Uhm… okay… Take a little walk with me then? I don’t want anyone to hear…” Carl said and let go of her entirely, pointing in the direction of the far corner of the roof deck that lay partly in darkness.

With an uncertain look at him, before quickly searching for Richard – who was engaged in a conversation with Melanie and Carol, two of the team assistants – Emma followed Carl away from the dance floor.

“Okay… So… To be honest… I don’t even know where to start…” Carl admitted, sighing.

“You’re scaring me a little… Are you okay?”

“Yes… yes… I will be, I guess… I… Well… Okay… here it goes… Seeing you with Richard tonight… seeing how happy you are… the way he got to hold you… I… I realized that… I… that I really wanted to be _him_ …,” Carl finally sighed, staring at his entwined fingers. 

“Carl….” Emma began, the reason for his strange behavior those last couple of weeks finally dawning on her. 

“No, wait… I have to get it out…,” he begged and finally looked up into her eyes. “I’m not going to say the actual words… because you’re an intelligent woman, I’m sure you know what I’m feeling for you… what I’ve been feeling for you pretty much since you started working here at the company…. I don’t want things to get awkward between us because I really don’t want to lose the most capable employee I have… and I also don’t want to lose one of my closest friends… But I really needed to get it out there… because those next couple of weeks, I can’t go out for after work drinks with you anymore… I need a little space to… to get over you…” Carl explained, the last words almost a whisper.

“Carl… Gosh… I’m sorry… I… I don’t know what to say to that… I… Seems like I'm not quite intelligent enough... because until a couple of minutes ago, I’d never have thought this was a possibility… I…,” Emma mumbled, being at a loss of words as confusion and despair meddled with her head.

“Hey, you don’t have to say anything… that’s not why I told you… I just didn’t want to unsettle you by distancing myself from you without an explanation…”

“Okay… thank you for your honesty… I… I mean… You know… Half a year ago… what you just said… or didn’t say… half a year ago, you would have made me the happiest woman alive… but now…”

“Now… there’s Richard…”

“Yeah… now there’s Richard...,” Emma said and despite her own heart breaking a tiny little bit for breaking Carl’s heart, the mentioning of Richard’s name filled her with warmth and love, just like his kiss did earlier that evening. Just like all his actions and words always did.

“Man… I really blew it then… I missed my chance…”

“Hmm… I… I don’t know… I mean… It’s probably for the best like that… I really really like you. Not just as my boss but also as one of my best friends and, like you, I don’t want to lose either of that. Everything that goes beyond that might have only destroyed us sooner or later.”

“Yeah… You might be right about that… it’s just… hard… you know? Knowing what could have been had I only opened my mouth sooner?”

“I know… I guess, that’s life… But… You’ll be alright, right? _We_ will be alright, right?” Emma asked uncertainly, really not wanting to lose him.

“Of course… I just need some time… It’s probably for the best that you’ll be on holidays next week,” Carl said and with another sigh, he started moving back towards their colleagues. Shortly before they arrived, he came to a halt and turned towards her again.

“Will you just promise me one thing?”

“Sure, anything,” Emma replied without hesitation.

“When… when things get really serious with you and Richard… will you tell me ahead of time, before you’ll leave me for good?”

“I don’t plan on leaving this place, Carl,” Emma promised.

“For now… But sooner or later, you will. You guys are going to move in together and I doubt that with his job, that that’s going to be in Munich… I just… I want to know ahead of time so that we can look for your replacement together…”

“Oh… okay…”

“Sorry, that came out wrong… I really don’t want to lose you, believe me. It’ll break my heart to let you go, when the time comes. And it won’t be possible to replace you in any way… but I want us to at least try… when the time comes,” Carl explained, his face wearing a pained expression.

“Okay… when the time comes… I’ll tell you ahead of time…,” Emma promised again, meaning every word of it.

“Thank you, Emma,” Carl replied, smiling at her genuinely, before turning around and disappearing in the crowd.

***

Emma found Richard at the bar, still in conversation with Melanie and Carol, and his eyes started to sparkle, when he saw her coming closer.

“Ready to leave?” Emma said, slipping her arm around his waist.

“Whenever you are. What about your cocktail?” Richard wanted to know, letting his hand travel to the small of her back, making her shiver at the touch.

“Mel? Carol? Do either of you want my Virgin Caipirinha? I haven’t drunk from it yet.”

“Sure, I’ll take it,” Melanie replied and grabbed the drink before turning her attention back to Richard. “Thanks for the talk, it was most delightful.”

“Thank you, ladies, for keeping me company,” Richard said politely, before the two assistants left. “Are you okay?” 

“Yeah… I just want to go home… it’s been a long day…”

“Is everything okay between you and Carl? I saw you talking… it looked serious…”

“Everything’s okay… I’ll tell you on the way home…”

“Okay then… let’s go home.”

After having said their goodbyes, Emma and Richard went straight to Emma’s car, that was parked nearby, and drove towards her apartment.

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you came back to see this story to an end with me, thank you so very much for your patience! If you are a new reader, hop on the train and enjoy the rest of the ride!


	15. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weekend-trip. _Relaxing_ (in probably more ways than one ;)). And an invitation, Emma can not resist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here it is, as promised, the next chapter of Emma's and Richard's life during holidays. They go on a little weekend trip and get to know each other in a more intimate way. This chapter is the reason why this fanfiction has an Adult-rating. Just so you're warned, if that's not your thing ;)

"How was your day?" Richard wanted to know, as they walked along a narrow path next to the river. Emma had just gotten out of work and was now officially on holidays for over a week.

"It was okay, I guess... A little weird, you know? But okay..." Emma replied honestly, thinking back to a moment that morning, when she ran into Carl in the kitchen, not knowing what to say. 

"Why? What did he do?" Richard asked, looking at the woman beside him, who chuckled at his question.

"He didn't do anything, Richard... I just didn't know how to behave around him... But he saved me and told me to act as if nothing had happened... So that's what we did. He'll get over it and things will be back to normal in no time..." Emma explained and silently prayed that her words would come true sooner rather than later. 

"Yah, you are right. The distance will do him some good, I'm sure," Richard replied but couldn't quite hide the smugness in his voice.

"Hey, don't be mean... Aren't you guys supposed to stick together?" Emma laughed, elbowing him in his side. She was glad that Richard had reacted the way he did last night, after she’d told him what happened between Carl and her. While he was irritated at first and couldn’t hold back an “I told you so”, they were able to talk civilly about it and Emma could take all of Richard’s doubts about working together with him in the future. 

"Not when the guy is after my girlfriend..." Richard shot back, winking at her and squeezing her hand.

"I guess I can understand that. But enough of that now. I'm on holidays and I wanna enjoy the time that I have with you," Emma said, stepping in front of Richard and bringing him to a stop, before she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down for a kiss. 

"Hmm," Richard hummed against her lips, relishing in the soft and warm touch of her body against his. "I like the sound of that," he finished, after Emma pulled away.

"Speaking of enjoying the time that we have. Would you mind getting out of town for the weekend? I hate Munich on weekends, especially during the summer. It's just too packed with locals and tourists." 

"As long as you're there, I don't care what we're doing and where we're doing it," Richard replied and while he said it with a total innocent tone, Emma raised her eyebrow in question, suppressing a giggle. It took Richard two seconds to catch up with her train of thoughts before the left corner of his mouth turned upwards. "I think I like what you are thinking."

"Oh, you do now, do you, Mister?" Emma replied, pulling him towards her again. Tiptoeing, she leaned towards his ear: "I'll be good to go by tomorrow...," Emma breathed, emphasizing her words with the whisper of a kiss to his earlobe. She could feel the muscles of his neck flexing and every time something like that happened, Emma couldn't believe that she was the one triggering that kind of reaction from his body.

"I _definitely_ like what you are thinking," Richard said and laughed, wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug, lifting her up from the ground and spinning her around. "You trust me, right?"

"Of course, I do. Why would you ask such a question?"

"Will you let me do the planning for the weekend?"

"Uhm... Okay... Sure, if you want to do that, be my guest," Emma replied and was actually kind of glad that Richard volunteered, since she always had a hard to choosing destinations or places to stay at.

***

17 hours later, at 9 in the morning, their bag was stored in the trunk of Emma's car and Richard opened the door on the passenger's side for Emma, her having him allowed to drive her baby.

"Where are we going?" Emma wanted to know for the 32.983th time in the past 17 hours. And for the 32.983th time, Richard replied: "It's a surprise."

As soon as they've left the city boarders behind, Emma could finally breathe freely, enjoying the fresh air and the sunlight through the tiny gap of the car's window. She leaned back in her seat, closing her eyes, while her left hand found Richard's thigh. She started drawing little patterns on his beige shorts, the cloth so thin that she could almost feel the warm skin beneath. Her left eye slowly fluttered open, as she wanted to take another sideway glance at the beautiful man next to her. A black t-shirt clung tightly to his chest before it fell more loosely over his stomach. The sleeves ended halfway down his biceps, that danced in an almost teasing way as he shifted the gear with one hand and gripped the steering wheel with the other. Emma couldn't wait to feel his arms around her once more and this time, there wouldn't be anything stopping them from that most intimate type of embraces. 

Without noticing it, Emma's breathing accelerated, which made Richard look at her for a moment.

"Are you okay, love?" He asked concerned and though Emma couldn't see his eyes through his black sun glasses, she knew they were sparkling.

"Yes yes... Everything's just perfect," Emma replied, winking at him before he turned his attention back on the road.

"What were you thinking?" Richard wanted to know, looking over his shoulder as he drove the car onto the autobahn.

"Mhmmm..." Emma mumbled, the fingers on his thigh starting to draw circle after circle, each one bigger than the last, moving farther and farther up. This time it was Richard's breathing that sped up and the hand that was holding on to the gear switch, slid over Emma's, interrupting her movements.

"If you want us to reach our destination in one piece, you better stop doing, what you were doing... Otherwise..." Richard said, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves.

"Otherwise...?" Emma asked, her voice deeper than usual.

"Otherwise..." Richard started and moved their joined hands over the hard bulge between his legs for just a moment, which caused one of them to pant and the other to moan. "Otherwise, I can't guarantee for _anything_ ," he finished, placing their hands on Emma's thigh now instead of his. 

Emma smiled inwardly and to try to reduce the heated atmosphere in the car, she turned on the radio, searching for her favorite program while concentrating on slowing down her heart. _Damn hormones..._

***

They had checked in at the _Wyndham Grand Hotel_ in Bad Reichenhall roughly two hours after they had set out on their little weekend getaway. The huge, white building with its well-groomed garden towered in the sun, mountains flanking its left side. Water splashed in a fountain, sparkling like tiny diamonds floated in it, as Richard and Emma made their way to the main entrance.

Emma had been to that small and cozy town close to the Alps only once before with her parents but that had been at least 15 years ago and she had next to no memories of the experience. So she was really happy to be back now, this time with Richard by her side. She was also glad to have packed her reflex camera because she loved mountains almost as much as she loved lakes and rivers and in this part of Bavaria, she was bound to find both.

After a short lunch at the hotel's own restaurant, Richard took Emma to the _Rupertus Therme_ , a thermal bath with a huge spa and sauna area, where he wanted them to spend the afternoon relaxing and enjoying each other's company. And so that was exactly what they did. After a round of swimming (for Emma; Richard declined) they just lay in the sun for a little while, Emma telling him about the few memories that she actually did have of Bad Reichenhall. Afterwards, Emma had asked him why he’d take her to a thermal bath when he didn’t like water to which he’d only replied that he could still relax there and if the pool wasn’t too deep he didn’t mind going in either. 

The mountains towered around them, casting half of the outside area in shadows, while the other part was bathed in sunlight. There weren't a lot of people at the thermal bath as it wasn't really holiday season just yet, so Emma and Richard had the whole place almost to themselves, more and more so with every hour that passed. In the late afternoon, Richard had booked a couple's massage for them, which they both enjoyed immensely. After an hour of getting their muscles kneaded, Emma hopped of the massage table as if she weighed nothing. Every single muscle in her body was relaxed and with a content smile, she watched Richard getting up as well, his face wearing a drowsy and stress-free look.

"That was amazing..." Emma gushed, as they made their way back to the thermal bath area.

"It was indeed, my love," Richard replied, his heart expanding at the happy look on Emma's face. 

They got back to their deck chairs, just in time to catch the last rays of the sun before it would undoubtedly vanish behind the mountains. Emma was just about to drift off into a light slumber, when a vibrating sound pulled her out of it. She turned her head towards Richard who stared at his cell phone in concentration.

"Work?" Emma asked, fear creeping into her bones, the thought of him having to leave her sooner than planned threatening to cut off her air supply. 

"Hmm..." Richard replied, turning the screen so that Emma could see who was calling. To her surprise, Peter Jackson's face filled out the display. 

"You should probably take that, shouldn't you?" Emma mused, curious as to what Peter could possibly want from Richard.

Pressing the green button, Richard put the cell phone to his ear.

"Hey Pete, what a surprise! How do you do?" Richard greeted and his smile would surely be transported through the line all the way to New Zealand, or where ever Peter was.

_"I've never been better, my friend!" ... "I'm off of work for a couple of days and staying with my girlfriend." ...._ Richard looked at her and they both smiled. _"Yes... We met a couple of weeks ago at a convention..." ... "Yah, who would have thought, right? I guess it was fate. What have you been up to?" ..._ Emma didn’t want to appear noisy or eavesdrop in on his conversation, so she closed her eyes again and concentrated only on the tone of Richard’s voice and not the words. 

Thirty minutes later, the sun had just disappeared behind the mountains, funnily enough, the total silence around her pulled her back to reality. Richard lay next to her, one hand holding on to hers, the other resting on his stomach that was rising up and down with every slow breath that he took. His head was turned towards her and his eyes were closed but upon the slightest movement of Emma – who wanted to pull her towel up to her shoulders - his eyes snapped open, immediately focusing on her.

"Everything okay?" Richard asked and Emma simply nodded with a smile on her lips.

“It’s just getting a little cold, now that the sun is gone,” Emma explained, wrapping herself in her towel.

“You want to warm up in the whirl pool over there?” Richard asked, pointing at the far corner of the pool area. 

“Sure, that is actually a very good idea,” Emma replied with a smile, reaching for Richard’s hand, who was already standing next to Emma’s deck chair.

The stony ground was getting cold in the shadow, causing goose bumps to break out all over her body. In a tiptoeing, dancelike jump, she covered the distance to the whirlpool in only five seconds, leaving a chuckling Richard behind. 

Richard stepped into the whirl pool only moments after Emma did but instead of sitting down next to her, he swam right towards her, stealing a quick kiss before coming to rest beside her. Just then, the inner pool area, that was cast in shadows now as well, lit up in a warm, red light. From where they were sitting, they could see that only very few people were left inside anymore and the outside area was empty except for the two of them. 

Taking another careful look over her shoulder, Emma rose from her spot in the pool and moved over to Richard, mimicking his movements from just a few seconds ago with the only exception that Emma didn’t leave it at a quick peck but turned it into a more passionate kiss. Richard’s hands came up to her hips, holding her close as she drifted between his legs. Emma in return placed her hands on the rim of the pool to both sides of Richard’s shoulders, locking him in. The kiss turned more urgent with every passing second and with every centimeter of bare skin that brushed against each other. It was the first time that they had so much naked skin at each other’s disposal and the moment Richard’s hands started exploring every inch of it, Emma moved even closer into his touch. She rested her legs on each side of Richard’s hips, sitting down on his lap. She brought her hands to his chest, letting them slide over his slippery skin as the kiss deepened. 

A low moan, that came out more like a whimper, pulled them both back to reality. “Should we really be doing that here?” Richard whispered but Emma was already kissing him again, her hips sliding forward in one languid move as his hand on the small of her back pushed her closer to him still. She could feel her inner muscles tensing, as she was pressed against the hardness in Richard’s bathing pants. This time it was him who let out a deep moan, breaking away from her lips and hiding his face in the crook of her neck to stifle the sounds that he couldn’t hold back. Emma kept sliding against him for a couple more moments, the knots in her stomach tightening to an almost painful degree. And then, just like that, Richard wrapped his arms around her tightly, stopping her movements.

With everything he had in him, he pulled back and looked into her eyes, mesmerized by the red and warm glow she emanated. “I’m taking you back to the hotel now…,” Richard grumbled, his voice shaky and breathless, as he untangled himself from Emma and got out of the pool.

Lightheaded, Emma followed Richard wordlessly, holding on to his hand out of fear her legs wouldn’t keep her up. As quickly as they could, they showered and got dressed, heading back to the hotel by almost breaking the sound barrier.

***

When the door clicked close behind them, Richard dropped the bag with their bathing utensils and went straight for Emma. His hands pushed into her still wet hair and to the back of her head, keeping her firmly against his mouth. They moved directly towards the bed, their lips not once leaving each other. Richard pushed her against the closed door of the bedroom, pressing his whole length against Emma. She could feel him everywhere. Hungry against her lips, desperate in her hair, burning against her chest, hot and rigid against that spot between her belly button and the waistband of her jeans. Richard lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist, as he blindly fumbled for the doorknob to get them to their destination. When his knees hit the side of the bed, he carefully lay her down, crawling over her body, gracefully like a wildcat. Richard lay down on top of her and Emma instantly wrapped her legs around his hips again.

Richard groaned as his hardness came into contact with her body and he almost lost it then and there, the teasing throughout the day almost too much to bear now. A needy breath escaped Emma’s lips, before they were caught in another searing kiss that lasted a very long time and yet not long enough.

“I love you, Emma,” Richard whispered against her lips, his voice sounding raw and urgent.

“And I love you,” Emma replied.

After what felt like an eternity of just kissing and pressing their bodies together desperately, he rolled slightly off of her and to his side, leaving one leg between hers, his hardness pressing into her hip. He never broke the kiss but one of his hands was now free to caress her body. He let his hand travel up and down her sides, before concentrating more on the front of her body. Richard gently cupped Emma’s breast and he could feel her harden under his touch. Emma released his lips as a silent groan left her mouth. Not able to keep his lips from touching her, he started to kiss every inch of her skin that he could reach, which wasn’t nearly enough for him so the shirt she had been wearing had to disappear. Her body, in some parts still a little moist from her shower, glistened like a diamond under the warm light of the room. The muscles in her stomach, so very soft to his touch, contracted beneath his fingertips. Richard had always found her beautiful, but seeing her lying beneath him, her lips swollen from his kisses, she had never been more beautiful to him. 

Her beauty, her shyness and the breathy sighs that left her lips every few moments nearly drove him insane. Richard couldn’t remember the last time he had felt the way he was feeling in that moment. The love for her threatened to overwhelm him, the all-consuming passion to unite their bodies clouding his head. He wanted to tell her how beautiful she was, how much she meant to him, how she had enriched his life ever since they’ve met. He wanted to tell her that and so much more. 

But his mind was too far gone to form coherent words or grammatically correct sentences. So instead, he tried to tell her with his eyes and with his touches how much she meant to him and how much he wanted her. His lips travelled down her upper body, his tongue tracing the outlines of her bra, before continuing on. Only when he had covered every inch of her skin, did he return to her lips for another passionate kiss. He lifted her up slightly, one hand slipping beneath her back to undo her bra, before stripping it off her body. Still kissing her, his finger slid feathery first over one, then the other breast, her nipples rising in need for contact. 

Emma reacted to every touch, shivered and trembled beneath him as he moved on top of her again. He rested on his elbows, giving her some of his weight and pressing his hips forward. In return, Emma’s hips started moving on her own accord, rubbing against Richard, the friction nearly killing him. At the same time her hands started moving up his body, taking his shirt with them, before pulling it over his head. 

Feeling his bare chest against hers for the very first time made Emma shiver despite the heat engulfing her. The hair on his chest was still damp from his shower and screamed to be touched. And so she did, tentatively running her fingers over his chest as far as it was possible at that angle. When she didn’t come far, her hands travelled to his back, stroking him everywhere. Richard enjoyed every single second of being touched by her, so wonderingly and affectionate as only someone who really cared about you could do. As he looked down at her, watched her darkening eyes, her swollen lips, her heavy breathing, he wondered if he would ever get enough of her.

“Is this okay?” Richard whispered, as some sense returned to his foggy head. 

“Oh Richard… Of course, it is… I need you…” Emma sighed, one of her hands coming up to cup his face. In that moment, she loved him even more for being so considerate and careful with her.

“I’ve never needed a person as much as I need you… but I beg you… please stop me when it’s too much, okay?”

“Not tonight… Tonight, all I want is to feel you.”

Instead of saying anything more, Richard leaned down to connect their lips once more before he started to kiss his way down her body again, his tongue gliding around each nipple, before moving further down. Reaching the waistband of her pants, he looked up at her, silently asking for permission to continue. Emma watched him with hooded eyes and nodded. With a plop, the button of her jeans was opened and with trembling hands, he removed both her pants and panties, leaving her naked before him. Richard could see how ready she already was for him. His blue eyes turned almost black, as he leaned down to kiss his way from her knee, over her thigh and to the juncture of her legs. Richard could hear her breath hitch, her body tensing, as his tongue darted out to trace her nether lips, before finding her clit. Emma almost came off the bed at the contact, moaning loudly. It only spurred him on even more and he became painfully aware of the fact that his pants were getting way too tight.

His tongue drew small circles around her clit, as his hands held her hips in place. Emma squirmed, wanting to get away from the onslaught of sensations and feelings and at the same time trying to get even closer to the man who gave her so much pleasure. When her breaths started to become uncontrolled, Richard carefully let first one, then another finger slip into her body, finding that one spot that would let her come apart. With his fingers in her tight sheath, his tongue not once stopping his assault on her clit, Emma finally let go, moaning Richards’ name as she convulsed around him.

Keeping his fingers inside of her, he slowly moved up her body, covering it with his. 

“You okay?” Richard whispered, looking for any sign of regret or discomfort. He was rewarded with a satisfied smile but her eyes were still dark with desire.

“More than okay… But…” Emma was interrupted when he withdrew his fingers from her body. Richard tensed at her ‘but’ as he waited for her to continue. “I really need to feel you inside of me now. We’ve waited long enough for that moment,” Emma replied as her hands moved to his pants to undo the button and zipper.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to push you…” Richard said, trying to slow himself down and giving her time to think about it, their conversation from Frankfurt, when they’d almost have sex for the first time, came back to his mind.

“I’m very sure… Please, Richard… I truly love you for being so considerate and for being willing to wait… but if you’re not inside of me in two seconds, I might explode.” Richard kissed her then, not letting her talk any further, as they pulled down his shorts and boxer briefs together. Emma’s hands were roaming his back before one hand moved to the front, sending it on a journey to touch his shoulders, his chest, circling his nipples and then further down his stomach and then further down still until she reached his penis. It was hard and smooth, yet softer than anything she had ever felt before. Carefully, Emma stroked him once, twice, three times, before she was stopped by him.

“You have to stop that, my love, or I won’t be inside of you anytime soon.” Richard warned her, reaching for his pants to pull out a condom. Emma sat up and took it from his hands, rolling it over his shaft. Richard took in a sharp breath of air as she touched him and then he gently lay her back, covering her yet again. 

Richard reached down between them, touching her once more. Only when he was absolutely certain that she was ready for him, did he take his hardness and brought it to her entrance. He looked into her eyes as he pushed forward gently. The tightness of her body was almost enough to send Richard over the edge. With everything he had in him he kept himself from just thrusting all the way in, reminding himself of her first sexual experience. No, he would be the first one to truly make love to her and he wanted her to remember that moment for the rest of her life. Richard slowly withdrew, before pushing back in, a little farther after every withdrawal. When he was all the way sheathed inside of her, Richard gave her a few moments to adjust to him, before he slowly and carefully started moving. They fit together so perfectly that Richard thought, and truly believed, that she was the one he was destined to be with for all eternity. Those were the exact same thoughts and feelings that Emma were having, bringing tears of happiness to her eyes. Richard immediately held still, looking down at her in worry.

“Did I hurt you?” Richard asked concerned, holding himself up for a second.

“No… No, you didn’t… I just… I just really love you…” 

Richard let out a sigh of relief, smiling at her and telling her how much he loved her with his next kiss. Emma’s legs wrapped around his waist again, letting him sink in even deeper. This time it was Richard who couldn’t hold back a loud moan and after only a few thrusts, he was already so close that he had to slow himself down. He didn’t want this to be over already, wanted to have Emma with him when he tumbled over the edge.

His strokes became slow and even, pulling almost all the way out, before entering her again in one, deep stroke. Emma’s hands slid over his shoulders, to the small of his back, before gently digging her fingernails into his butt, shooting a bolt through his body. One hand moved back up to his neck, tugging him down for another kiss. It lasted only for a moment, as Emma continued on planting kisses along his jaw to his ear and down his neck. She gently bit the sensitive skin there, before alternating between sucking and licking the reddened spot.

Richard’s thrusts sped up again and he marveled at the fact how in sync two people could get. Emma met each and every thrust, lifting her hips in just the right time and just the right angle for him to stroke that sweet spot inside of her. When his thrusts became harder and more uncontrollable, he knew he would be able to take her with him. The tight muscles of her body already started quivering, as his strokes became faster and more urgent, both soaring higher and higher, with nothing to stop them. Richard let his hand slip between their bodies again, rubbing her clit while his hardness slipped in and out of her frantically. In the far corner of his mind he hoped and prayed that he wasn’t hurting her but if her moans were any indication, then they were an indication for her passion. Emma’s body reared up from the bed and she held on to his body for dear life, whimpering against his shoulder to never leave her again, and when her hot tunnel gripped his cock, Richard finally let himself go as well, stumbling into oblivion.

Emma wrapped herself around him, holding him as they slowly came down from their height. When their heartbeats returned to normal, Richard lifted himself up to look at her. What he saw was wonder, amazement, satisfaction, but also something else, something far deeper and stronger, a feeling that he was sure was in his eyes as well.

Richard kissed her gently, stroking her cheek, before carefully withdrawing from her body. She whimpered at the loss of him, while he threw the condom in the nearby trash bin. Emma snuggled into his side, his arms locking her against him in a tight embrace. There was no need for words in that moment, Emma drawing little hearts on his chest and Richard pressing a kiss to the crown of her head and moments later they both drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

***

When they woke up an hour later, it was to the loud rumbling of Emma’s stomach. It was pitch black outside, the beside lamp on the nightstand the single source of light. Richard only reluctantly loosened his hold on her, as Emma struggled to sit up.

“What time is it?” Emma asked groggily, leaning over Richard to get a look at the clock. “9 pm. Time for dinner, I’d say,” Emma suggested and Richard laughed.

“Hmm… If it were up to me, my love, we could skip right to dessert,” Richard said and winked at her, leaning up and placing a kiss against her shoulder. 

“We’ll leave room for dessert, I promise. But I need something substantial first. And then dessert. And even more dessert after that,” Emma replied and a loud rumble echoed through the room, only this time it was Richard’s stomach.

“Okay, you win. What are you in the mood for?” Richard asked her, while reaching for the menu in the drawer of the nightstand. 

“I take whatever you’ll take.”

Richard reached for the telephone and dialed the number “10” for the room service. He ordered them two club sandwiches and a salad before he hang up again. After he lay back down again, he pulled Emma against himself, sighing contently. 

“Are you feeling okay?” Richard wanted to know, drawing lazy circles on her upper arm.

“I’m feeling more than okay. And you?” 

“Never felt better, my love,” Richard replied and kissed the top of her head. 

Emma snuggled into his warm embrace, closing her eyes and enjoying the total bliss she was feeling. Would anything ever come as close to that kind of happiness again? Knowing now what it felt like to be one with him had shifted something deep within her, changing everything she had always believed about love and sex. Lying there in his arms, she didn’t even know how to explain it other than it was magical. When his body became one with hers, their souls touched. And while their bodies had to separate at some point, it felt like their souls were still entwined, something Emma had never felt before.

Richard’s voice brought her back to reality. “There’s something I wanted to talk to you about… you know… Before you seduced me and erased all thoughts from my mind…” 

“Well, you could have stopped me, you know,” Emma shot back, squeezing his side.

“As if I could have stopped you… You practically ambushed me in the whirl pool,” Richard said in an accusing, yet joking manner.

“Suuuure… you poor, big, strong, masculine guy couldn’t defend yourself… I’m really sorry for that…” Emma mocked him, trying to withdraw from his embrace.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Just wanted to give you some space… I don’t want to get accused of ambushing you again…”

“Funny… I really love your humor,” Richard replied, before turning a little more serious again. “Back to what I wanted to originally say… When Peter called earlier… he asked me something that I wanted to talk to you about first since it would affect our time together.”

“Okaaay… What did he ask?”

“You remember me telling you about my nomination for a Saturn Award?”

“Of course, I do. I’m still very proud about that.”

“Thank you, love. Well… you see… The ceremony will be held next Thurdsay… And Pete asked me if I would attend the event since he is in LA right now and will be going as well. Originally, I hadn’t planned on going because it would have meant cutting my visit with you short…” Richard explained and felt how Emma tensed up in his arms. “I was about to tell that to Pete when I realized something… So I told him I’d have to talk to you first. Which is what I’m doing now.”

“So… You want to go?” Emma asked, sadness creeping into her voice. It was already bad enough that he would have to leave on Thursday again but now probably having to cut it even shorter, almost broke her heart.

“Yes, I kind of want to go… But only after I’ve realized… You have the whole week off, right?” Richard asked uncertainly.

“Yeah, I do…” Emma said, not yet fully understanding where this was going.

“Would you… I mean… Could I persuade you of accompanying me to Los Angeles? And of being my date for the evening?”

“You… You want to take me to LA and to the Saturn Awards?”

“Yeah… I would really love that. We could fly over there on Tuesday, spend a couple of days in LA and then go back on Saturday. That way, we would even have a couple of more days together than initially planned,” Richard explained, his voice hopeful. “I mean… If that’s too stressful for you or if you don’t want to go to such an event… I would totally understand it… We can just stay in Munich and enjoy our time, I would be entirely happy with that as well.”

Emma was quiet for a few moments even though there wasn’t really a decision to be made. She’d have two more days with Richard if she’d agree to go with him to LA, so what choice was there really?

“Okay… Let’s do it,” Emma finally said and Richard squeezed her shoulder happily.

“Are you sure?” 

“Yes, I am sure. It’s two more days we get to spend together, so what kind of choice do I really have? Even though the thought of going to such an event with you is making me _really_ nervous…” 

“Do you have any idea, how happy you just made me? I mean, even happier than I already was before?”

“I’m really happy as well to have more time with you… more time for dessert and stuff, you know,” Emma replied and was rewarded with a delighted laugh of Richard.

“Why are you nervous though?” Richard wanted to know, after they had turned silent for a moment.

“I… I don’t know… Lots of people are going to be there… They’ll all see us together… You know how awkward I was when we first met… I’m not good at these kind of things…. Not that I’ve ever been at something like that before… I’ll surely embarrass you… stumble across the red carpet… ruining the photos that are going to be taken there…” Richard silenced her by pressing a finger against her mouth. 

“You, my dear, are going to be the star of the evening, believe me. And you could never _ever_ embarrass me. On the contrary, you will save me from embarrassing myself. I’m the one who is always awkward at these kind of things, as you know. And maybe if we’re awkward together, people won’t notice so much? As for people seeing us together… is that a problem for you? I mean… if you’re not ready for that kind of outing… I’d totally understand it as well…” Richard said, looking her in the eyes to figure out what she was thinking. _’Maybe it was too soon after only a couple of weeks of knowing each other?’_

“I… I don’t know… I can’t grasp what it’s going to mean for us if people know about us…” 

“Well… you know, the good thing is, I’m not George Clooney or Tom Cruise or one of the other big Hollywood guys… The paparazzi oftentimes don’t even know who I am, so I doubt much would change. Plus, I’ve been pretty good at keeping that part of my life as private as it can be in my profession. We can meet up with Karen, my publicist, before the event and she can give you some tips as to how to avoid private questions, if they are even asked. The Saturn Awards is just a small award show compared to all the other ones out there… But as I said, if it’s too much, I would totally understand it,” he explained and succeeded in calming her down a little.

“Okay… I… I guess, we can try it. I take no responsibility for possible embarrassments though,” Emma agreed, laughing nervously.

“That’s not going to happen, I promise you. Thank you for agreeing to try, though,” Richard replied, bringing her face up to his in a loving kiss. “I love you, Emma.”

“And I love you, Richard.”

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed the chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! I wish you all a wonderful weekend!


	16. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> LA and Saturn Awards and more fluff, naturally :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there everyone! This is it... the final chapter before the epilogue. Now that this is finally coming to an end, I'm finding it really hard to imagine to not be writing about them anymore... it'll be really hard to let them go. Anyways, have fun with the new chapter! :)

Emma looked out of the tiny window of the airplane as they were approaching _Los Angeles International Airport_. Her thoughts drifted back to the last couple of days and her heart swelled up at all those amazing memories they had created. They had spent almost all of Sunday in bed, exploring each other in the most intimate of ways, only leaving the hotel room in the late afternoon, after Emma had begged him to take her up into the mountains so she could snap a couple of pictures of the setting sun. He’d stood behind her and had his arms wrapped around her waist, whispering words of hope and love in her ear, as she was trying to get the perfect picture. She’d wished in that moment that it were possible to put feelings on a picture as well so that they could be remembered for all eternity. After they’d returned to Munich on Monday, Richard had organized flight tickets to LA for the following morning before he took her shopping for a dress, which they’d found after about two hours of strolling through the city. While Emma had been packing, Richard had prepared and cooked a wonderful and delicious candle-light dinner, after which he’d taken her back to bed, thoroughly thanking her with his body for how happy she was making him by coming to LA with him.

Richard lay his hand on hers, entwining their fingers and pulling her back from her thoughts. With a bright smile on her face, she looked back at Richard, bringing her free hand up to touch his face in an adoring gesture for a second. His beard tickled her fingertips but she loved the soft feeling of his facial hair.

“Do you want me to shave it off?” Richard asked, trying to figure out what her thoughtful gaze might have meant.

Taken aback by the question and withdrawing her hand, Emma didn’t even know what to say at first. So a confused “what” was all that she could get out.

“The beard… Do you want me to shave it off? We’ve never really talked about it if you liked it or not…” Richard said uncertainly, scratching over his chin.

“I… You really don’t have to ask me that.” 

“But don’t you prefer one over the other?” Richard wanted to know, turning slightly in his chair to get a better look at her.

“Well… I don’t really care about that, you know? To me, you’re beautiful, no matter what. It’s your beard, you decide how you feel more comfortable and what to do with it. I’ll love you with the beard and I’ll love you without it,” Emma simply said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Richard smiled at her contently, leaning over to place a quick kiss on her mouth. “Thank you again for coming with me, sweetheart.”

“You’re very welcome,” Emma replied, lifting their joined hands up to her mouth, before they prepared for landing.

***

“Wow…” Richard only said as he entered the bedroom of their suite. Emma was standing in front of the huge mirror, fixing her wavy, reddish hair with hairspray. She turned around to watch him as he walked towards her, already dressed in his blue suit. When he stepped next to Emma, she reached up to close the last buttons on the collar of his shirt, before fastening the turquoise, pastel-colored tie around his neck. After Emma was satisfied with the tie, she turned around again to look at them in the mirror. The knee-length dress that she was wearing bore the same turquoise pastel-color as his tie and the blue belt around her waist matched his suit. Richard wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to his side. Like almost every woman, she never really liked her looks, but standing there, next to Richard, his eyes sparkling as he gazed at her, she’d never felt more beautiful. And above all else, she’d never felt a sense of belonging as much as she did in that moment. Of course, Emma had known that she belonged to him and she had also started to believe that he belonged to her, but the way they were standing in front of the mirror, their outfits matching, that sense of belonging was also portrayed in a physical way. When they’d show up at the red carpet together, in the blink of an eye, everyone would see that they were there _together_. Tears sprang to her eyes as feelings threatened to overwhelm her.

“Hey, what’s wrong, my love?” Richard asked, turning her towards him and wrapping his other arm around her.

“Nothing…” Emma sighed, wiping the tears away. Luckily, she hadn’t really applied any make-up, so there wasn’t a lot that could be destroyed.

“You’re crying… Clearly, it’s not nothing,” Richard said, his voice turning darker in worry.

“Gosh… I’m just such a cry-baby lately… I don’t even know what’s wrong with me…”

“Don’t say that… nothing’s wrong with you… what did you think just now? We can still skip the whole thing, if it’s too much…” Richard suggested, stroking her back.

“No… it’s not that… I just… I just don’t know how to deal with all the happiness I’m feeling lately… And when I stared at us just now… for the first time… it… for the first time it looked like we really belong together, you know… It wasn’t just a feeling… but… just with the way our outfits match and stuff… does that make sense?”

“Yah… I know what you mean… You know that I belong to you, right? Only to you… _Always._ ” Richard said, his last word almost a whisper, as he leaned down to kiss her. Emma sighed against his lips, her hand holding on to his neck. 

“And I to you,” Emma whispered back, kissing him again. 

Just then, a loud knock on the door pulled them out of their little bubble. Emma was about to turn around and head for the door but Richard stopped her. “I love you,” he said and leaned in to press another kiss to her forehead. Emma’s heartbeat sped up and her happiness showed itself in a huge grin then instead of tears. “I love you, too, darling,” she said, as it knocked a second time.

Emma left the bedroom, feeling Richard only a couple of steps behind her as she headed for the door and slowly pulled it open. A friendly looking woman, with blond curls and a black pantsuit, stood in front of their room, a cellphone in one hand and a purse in the other.

“You must be Emma,” the woman said cheerfully, stepping closer with open arms, that engulfed Emma in a tight hug. “It’s so nice to finally meet you after Richard has told me so much about you! I’m Karen.” Then she spotted Richard behind Emma and immediately went over to hug him. “Good evening, Richard. It’s been a while…,” Karen noted, before releasing him.

“Hello, Karen. Thank you for finding time on such a short notice,” Richard said, thanking her.

“For you, my dear, I will always find time,” she replied, moving into the room and over to the sitting area, where she placed her purse and cellphone on the coffee table.

“Come, come, you two. We don’t have much time and I want to prepare you as good as I can in the time that we do have,” she explained cheerfully, sitting down on the chair that stood opposite of the sofa. 

Emma walked over to the newly arrived woman, smiling at her warmly but not really knowing what to say to her.

“Sooo. Richard tells me you’re a little nervous about the event tonight. You’ve never been to an award show before, did I get that right?”

“Yeah, that is true. I’m just little small-town me… the only exposure to that kind of environment that I had was working at the convention where I met Richard. And you can’t really compare that to what’s going to happen tonight…,” Emma started, when Richard sat down next to her, taking her hand in his.

“I understand. But you don’t have to be nervous, sweetheart. We’ll get you through the evening, believe me. What exactly makes you nervous?” Karen wanted to know, looking at Emma encouragingly. 

“I… don’t really know… Well, I guess it’s that I don’t really know what’s going to happen. I’m nervous that I’m going to trip over the red carpet, embarrassing Richard… I’m scared of people asking questions I have no answers to… I’m scared of what they’re all going to think of me… And I’m scared of how things are going to be afterwards… I do want to be there with Richard because it’s an important evening for him… but after tonight I would just really love to disappear again.” Emma tried to explain, having a hard time to get the words out. 

“Okay… that’s all things that we can easily solve, more or less at least. Is it okay if we tackle one issue after the next?”

“Sure, you’re the expert, Karen,” Emma replied and hoped that the woman before her would be able to calm down her nerves. 

“Well then… First things first. You tripping over the red carpet…” Karen began and leaned over the table between them to get a look at Emma’s feet. “I would suggest, if that’s possible, to wear flats instead of high heels. That’s always the safest way to avoid tripping. And since the dress code isn’t as strict as it is at other award shows, it’s totally acceptable to wear them. Plus, just hold on to Richard’s hand, he won’t let you fall, right, Richard?”

“Of course, I won’t,” Richard assured Emma, moving an inch closer to her side.

“Second on the agenda, people asking questions you have no answer to… what kind of questions would that be?”

“I don’t know… mainly personal questions, I guess… I don’t want them to learn too much about my private life… about _our_ private life… but I also don’t want them to think I’m cold or distanced…”

“Well… that’s always the trickiest part… the only advice I can give you on that matter is: just be yourself. You are not obliged to answer any question at all, if you don’t want to. And when you decline a question in a polite way, saying that ‘it’s too personal’, most of them always understand. Though you can still answer questions with words while not saying anything at all. Always stay with the truth and try not to lie but stay as superficial as you can be. That way you’re giving an answer but not really, you know what I mean? I know it’s really hard… but that’s something you just have to learn by doing… it’ll get easier with every event that you’ll attend.”

“Okay… I’ll try to remember your words later…”

“And don’t forget, I’ll be at your side… I’ll save you if the need should arise. But I’m one hundred percent sure, that you’ll hold your ground all by yourself,” Richard assured her.

“Last but not least… You want to disappear again after the event. Well, lucky for you, you don’t have some crazy or weird name that parents seem to give their kids these days but a rather common one. Even if they do figure out your name, typing it into google won’t do them any good. You’re slightly American accent will also help hiding where you are from… So if you don’t give them any details, they won’t find out anything about you. I mean… sooner or later, they probably will… But for now, you two should be safe,” Karen said and smiled at her.

Karen also gave the two of them some more general tips and quickly updated them on the guest list and about where they would be sitting, before she left them roughly an hour later, just a couple of minutes before they were to be picked up by their driver.

***

“Are you ready?” Richard asked Emma, his eyes studying her face carefully. Emma appeared to still be nervous but she nodded at him with a tiny smile. He kissed her one last time before he opened the door of the car, stepping outside and then helping her out of the car as well.

Gracefully, Emma slid both her legs out of the car, trying her best to not reveal anything as thoughts of paparazzi pictures of famous Hollywood females’ panties flashed through her mind. Richard captured her hand in his, entwining their fingers in a strong and reassuring grip, as they made their way over to the red carpet. 

The sun was shining down on them, as they walked around the corner and stepped directly in front of the dozens of cameras. At first, the clicking and screaming of all those photographers overstrained her head. But the feeling of having Richard right by her side immediately grounded her again and a careful smile appeared on her face, as they made their way down the path to the building. After each step that they took, they stopped again and posed for the cameras. Richard held on to her hand the whole time, sometimes pulling her close against his body, other times just standing with his body turned towards her, smiling down at her. It took about 10 minutes until the screaming for Richard’s and Emma’s name ceased. How they’d already known her name was beyond her.

Next stop was the row of journalists, some holding only a microphone, others having a whole team with cameras and lights surrounding them. As they moved closer, Richard slipped his arm around Emma’s waist. Emma had no idea what the proper protocol was. Were they supposed to talk to them all? Would the interviewers signal them their interest? Would someone tell them where to go? Her train of thoughts were interrupted, when a woman in her fifties waved at them. “Over here, Richard!” The woman screamed and the couple walked over to them.

“Hello, Richard!” The woman said happily, as they stopped before her.

“Hey, Molly! I’m delighted to see you here tonight! How are you?” Richard asked politely, shaking her hand in welcome.

“Very well, thank you. How are you? And who is the beautiful woman that you’ve brought with you?”

“That beautiful woman is Emma. Emma, may I introduce you to Molly? We’ve met a couple of years ago here in LA. She’s one of the really good souls out there,” Richard explained and Emma noticed how _her_ Richard disappeared behind the mask of actor-Richard. 

“Hello Emma, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Is it your first time in LA?” Molly asked and it felt more like a friendly conversation than anything else.

“No, it’s the second time actually. I’ve been here with my best friend in… I think it was in 2006. It was the first holidays I went on without my parents, so I have only the best of memories of this place,” Emma told Molly, not even noticing the microphone between them. 

“And now you’re making new memories with Richard here?”

“Yes, that is the plan,” Emma replied and smiled brightly at the woman.

“How long are you going to stay here?” Molly asked and this time it was Richard who answered, since the question wasn’t just directed at Emma.

“Only until the weekend. We’re just going to relax and enjoy the weather and the city before we both have to go back to work.”

“That sounds delightful. I hope you will have a great time here! So, Richard, are there any upcoming projects that you can talk about?”

“Well, I’ll be busy promoting Hannibal for a couple of weeks now, the highlight surely being San Diego Comic Con in July. After that, I’ll go to Vancouver for a little while, to do a movie called _’Brain On Fire’_ , which is going to be really interesting. I’m also talking to _`audible`_ about doing another audio book right now, so there’s that as well. Either way, I definitely won’t get bored anytime soon,” Richard replied with a content chuckle. 

“That definitely sounds like it! I’m really happy that things are going so well for you,” Molly gushed and while it might have just been a meaningless phrase had it been spoken by anyone else, Emma actually believed the woman before her.

“Yes, it definitely couldn’t get much better right now,” Richard agreed and winked at her.

“Thank you for the talk, Richard, and enjoy the rest of your night. Both of you! And good luck, of course!” Molly said, nodding her head as a sign of salute. Richard and Emma thanked her for the pleasant conversation before they moved on to the next interviewer.

By the time they finally reached the end of the line, at least half an hour had passed. They'd talked to about 8 to 10 different journalists and thankfully, almost all of them only had eyes for Richard. Just a handful of them wanted to know who Emma was and after they'd gotten her name none of them dared to ask any more personal questions. 

They were about to pass the last group of interviewers when Emma heard someone saying her name.

“You are Emma Meyer, right?” A guy with a green microphone asked her. Surprised to hear her full name, Emma stopped while Richard walked on and was already caught up in another interview moments later, before he had any chance to realize what had happened.

“Yes, that is right. And you are?” Emma replied and she could see how taken aback he was by her counter question.

“I’m Phil Duncan with _Ambermagic Magazine_ , it’s nice to meet you, Emma,” Phil said, “you're here with Richard Armitage, aren't you?" Phil wanted to know, eying Emma curiously.

"That is correct, yes. I fear you’ve just missed him," Emma smiled politely, pointing in his direction.

"Well, if you don't mind, I'll just talk to you for a couple of moments instead?" Phil asked, while Emma was still contemplating if she liked him or not.

"Uhm... Of course... Though I doubt that what I'll have to say will be anywhere near as interesting or exciting as to what Richard could tell you."

"Oh no, that is definitely not true. You are quite the mystery here. Everyone is talking about you but no one was brave enough to ask any questions, since everyone knows that Richard doesn't like to answer personal ones."

"And you'll be the brave one, now that Richard isn't here?" Emma shot back and though she felt really uncomfortable without Richard by her side, she was also very curious where this talk would possibly lead. She smiled at Phil sweetly, trying to cover the possible unfriendliness of her question.

"If you'll allow me?"

"Very well then... Give it your best shot," Emma replied, looking uncertainly in Richard's direction, who was standing about five feet away from her. He was talking to two guys and answering a question they'd just asked but Richard's body was slightly turned in her direction, signaling her that he was still very much with her. Emma turned her attention back towards Mr. Duncan. 

"Thank you, that is very kind of you. So, Emma, is this your first visit to the Saturn Awards?"

"Yeah, it is. To any award show for that matter," Emma replied honestly, trying very hard to remember everything that Karen had told her earlier. _'Be honest... Answer but stay superficial.'_

"How do you like the experience so far?"

“Everything’s very overwhelming. I think it’ll take some time getting used to so many people yelling your name. I want everyone to do their job right and get the picture or interview they need but it’s hard to do all everyone justice when there are so many people… I don’t know if that makes any sense…” Emma tried to explain and could feel the blush creeping onto her cheeks.

“It makes perfect sense, yeah. You seem to be a very considerate person,” Phil noted, the curiosity in his features becoming more apparent.

“I try to be, yes,” Emma replied.

“So, are you Richard’s…,” Phil began and immediately, the defense walls went up inside of Emma. Before he could finish his question, Emma jumped in.

“Date for the night? Yes, that’s what I am,” she said and smiled an honest smile, proud of herself for succeeding at her first attempt to answer a question without giving away too much.

“How did you two meet?” Phil wanted to know, sensing that she wasn’t going to say anything more about the status of their relationship. Phil took a step closer to the fence that was separating them and the closeness let him appear two inches taller with the simple gesture.

Emma looked over at Richard again, who was still caught up in his interview but their eyes met for a brief second and he smiled at her encouragingly.

“We met a while ago due to our shared passion for Tolkien and Middle Earth. It was really exciting to get to meet Richard, who did such a wonderful job at portraying one of the most complex and heroic characters in the literary world. I really hope that he’ll get the recognition that he deserves for it tonight,” Emma replied, having to stop herself before she’d confess too much.

“I will definitely cross my fingers for him because he truly deserves it,” Phil said, looking down at the microphone in his hands, checking if it was still recording. “So… what else is there to know about you besides your love for the Tolkien universe?”

It was in that moment, that Emma felt a strong arm slipping around her waist and she looked happily up into Richard’s face for a moment before her eyes wandered back at the interviewer.

“Well… Like I already said at the beginning, there isn’t really anything exciting that I could possibly tell you about me. We already covered my love for Tolkien. I love literature in general and how you can be a wizard or a spy or a detective or astronaut and live on Mars or in the Middle Ages or in a parallel universe in the blink of an eye. I also like travelling and learning about new countries and cultures. And besides Tolkien, my biggest passion is probably photography. I love capturing breathtaking landscapes and moments on a picture. Always on the hunt for that perfect photo. Some things in this life are just too beautiful to not be remembered,” Emma told Phil, deciding this was a safe topic to talk about. 

“So, is photography your profession then?” Phil wanted to know, his eyes drifting to Richard for a second before focusing on Emma again. She could see that he retreated a little and all of a sudden, he didn’t appear quite so threatening anymore.

“No, my job is a lot more boring than that. But that’s what hobbies are for, right? One of my biggest dreams is to release an illustrated book someday. I already started collecting pictures for it but I also still need many more as well. So it’s a work in progress that I’ll hope to accomplish in a couple of years,” Emma explained, her eyes shining brightly as she talked about her dream.

“So you have a topic for it already? What is it?”

“I can’t tell you that, Phil. I don’t want anyone to steal my idea,” Emma replied without hesitation and the laugh that followed let her answer sound less harsh than it might have sounded otherwise.

“Very well, I’ll be on the lookout then,” Phil returned, looking down at his microphone again and pressing a tiny button on it.

“Thank you, Phil, for the conversation. It was really nice talking to you,” Emma said then, trying to bring the interview, or whatever it was, to an end. She briefly reflected on her words, deciding that she didn’t reveal anything important and also wondering for a second what he could possibly do with the information he gathered. Definitely not filling a page for his magazine. 

“Thank you for your openness and honesty, Emma. And good luck to you tonight, Richard, I hope you’ll get to take home the award with you!”

“Thank you, Phil,” Richard said and nodded his goodbye. Emma did the same and together they finally headed for the entrance of the building.

***

“I didn’t know that an illustrated book was one of your biggest dreams…” Richard said quietly, as they stood in line to enter the ballroom.

“It never really came up… and it hasn’t been my top priority lately either… I just had to think of something halfway interesting to talk about that wouldn’t give too much away about my personal life.”

“But it is one of your biggest dreams?” Richard probed, still surprised that he didn’t know about something so important.

“Yeah, it kinda is. I’ve been working on it for quite a while now… It started during university but ever since I started working, I didn’t have as much time for it anymore…” Emma explained.

“I can understand that, yes. Will the book have something to do with sunsets?” Richard wanted to know.

“Yes, it actually will… how did you know that?”

“You practically dragged me out of bed on Sunday just so we could get up on that damn mountain,” Richard chuckled, thinking back to their weekend in Bad Reichenhall.

“Oh… yeah… True… Uhm, yeah. That was exactly the reason, yes. As I started out, my goal was to try and take a picture of a sunset in every country of the world. But I figured out rather quickly that I probably wouldn’t be able to succeed in visiting every single country… So now my goal is to get beautiful sunsets at least from all of the continents,” Emma explained, smiling carefully at him.

“You know, you could have just…”

“RICHARD!!”

At the loud mentioning of Richard’s name, both Emma and Richard turned around and in that moment, Peter Jackson’s arms were already wrapped around Richard in a tight hug. Emma watched the two men before her, greeting each other affectionately. Emma’s heartrate sped up at the sight of Peter Jackson. Not in a way like it did when Richard was close but in a way it does, when something exciting is about to happen. And meeting one of your heroes definitely counted as something _very_ exciting. A huge grin broke out on Emma’s face as the two men released each other and turned their eyes to her.

“You must be Emma, the girlfriend?” Peter asked curiously, extending his hand to her.

Star struck, Emma just nodded, shaking his hand just a tiny bit too enthusiastically. Peter laughed at her reaction. “How are you doing, dear?”

“I…” Emma mumbled, still not knowing what to say. “I’m very good, thank you…”

“Should I worry now? You weren’t quite so overwhelmed when you saw _me_ for the very first time,” Richard threw in, coming to stand next to Emma again, his hand reaching for hers.

“Haha… Funny…” Emma replied, elbowing him in the side. “Sorry… I’m… I’m just really happy to meet you, Mr. Jackson. It’s not every day you get to meet one of your personal heroes.”

“Awww… That is too kind of you to say that. And please, call me Peter. We are going to spend the evening together after all.”

“Peter, it is then. Are you enjoying LA so far? Richard mentioned, that you’ve been here for a while?”

“Well, it’s LA, you know? It’s okay, as long as I have to be here but I’ll definitely happier when I’m on the plane back to New Zealand tomorrow.”

Emma chuckled nervously, as she replied: “While I’ve never been to New Zealand before, I can still totally understand why you would feel like that. I can’t wait to visit that beautiful country one day in the hopefully not too distant future.”

“I really like her, Rich,” Pete said, clapping his shoulder and laughing. “You should take her down to the other side of the world.”

“I plan on doing just that,” Richard responded, winking at him.

They kept talking until they reached their designated table and continued talking until the the award show began. Emma tried her best to keep up with the conversation at the table but every once in a while she just leaned back and listened to Richard’s voice. He sounded and behaved so differently in this kind of environment but in his interaction with Peter Jackson, she could undoubtedly see her Richard there as well. She was happy that she’d survived the exhausting part of the evening and was now really looking forward to the rest of the night, counting herself the luckiest woman on the planet to be here, with Richard, the man that she loved above all else.

***

“And the Saturn Award for _Best Supporting Actor_ goes to…”, a female voice said as Emma held on to Richard’s hand on her thigh, her palm hot and sweaty. “RICHARD ARMITAGE for _The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies_!!” The voice exclaimed and it took everything Emma had in her not to jump up and scream in joy.

Instead, she whipped her head around to look at Richard, who sat there all serious, not believing what he’d just heard. His head turned in her direction, bringing his hand up to her cheek with an intense ray of emotions behind his eyes. Emma smiled brightly at him as he leaned in to give her a quick kiss. Only then did his lips break out in a huge grin as well, as he got up from his chair. Everyone at their table congratulated him for winning the award, especially Peter, who had his arms around him once again. “There’s no one who deserve this more than you!” Peter beamed, before he let him go.

Emma watched Richard with pride, as he made his way through the crowd and up onto the stage. Peter was right, there definitely was no one who deserved this more than he did. He had put everything that he was and that he owned into playing Thorin Oakenshield and finally he was awarded for his hard work. Emma thanked the spirits that she was allowed to be here with him to share this special night with him.

The two presenters congratulated Richard as he stepped on the stage and handed him his Saturn Award. He looked at the golden statue and if it was possible, his smile got even wider. After a few moments of gathering himself, he stepped towards the microphone: 

“I am a huge Tolkien fan… I read the book when I was seven years old. And subsequently, I became a huge Peter Jackson fan… It was a huge privilege to go down to New Zealand, to the other side of the world and shoot these movies… Thank you to Saturn and to the Academy for honoring me with this. Thank you, Pete and your entire team, for everything you’ve done for me and for making a childhood dream of mine come true. And thank you to the Professor, to J.R.R. Tolkien, for creating this amazing universe and for all the moments and people it has brought into my life… in particular, one very special person, who has _become_ my life,” Richard said, his eyes finding Emma’s in the crowd. “ _Estelio ammen… estelio veleth._ ” He finished his speech, with a touch of his hand to his chest. 

Emma’s heart pounded wildly against her ribcage as she watched him descending the stage and walking towards her with a loving smile on his lips.

 _Yes. That is exactly what she was going to do when things would get bumpy again. She would always trust them and_ love.

_…The End…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked the chapter?! You'd make me incredibly happy if you'd let me know whether you liked it or :) Thank you again for everyone who took the time to read this chapter/story and for sticking with me on that rollercoaster ride :)


	17. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Future plans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sigh* Here it is... The epilogue... I can't believe the day has finally come where I can finish this story. And now that it's here, like I already said, it's really hard to imagine letting them go... Anyways... Without further ado... Enjoy the little conclusion to this story :)

_8 weeks later…_

Emma was just about to fall asleep on her couch, after a long and exhausting day at work, when the ringing of her doorbell startled her out of her slumber. Groggily, she waded towards her door and pressed the button on her intercom system.

“Hello?” Emma mumbled, waiting for a reply, already cursing whoever had the guts to disturb her at that time of the night.

“Late night delivery,” a dark, baritone voice responded and her heart rate sped up at the immediate recognition of _his_ voice.

“Richard?” Emma whispered, not believing what was happening.

“Yah, it’s me, sweetheart.”

Emma teared the door open, waiting for Richard to climb the staircase and not believing her eyes when he appeared in her field of vision two minutes later. With a loud squeal, she ran into his open arms. Richard lifted her up and pushed her against the wall of the hallway, Emma’s legs wrapping around his waist in a tight grip. 

“What the heck are you doing here?” Emma asked incredulously but instead of an answer, he pressed his lips against her in an urgent kiss. Emma returned the kiss with equal fervor, relishing in the feeling of having him so close again. After LA, they had only seen each other for a weekend in Munich and a prolonged weekend in London about three weeks ago. While Richard had stayed true to his promise of trying harder to balance work and private life better, it was still very difficult for Emma to not have him around all the time. They had however decided on going on “dates” at least once a week, connecting over _Facetime_ and either going for a walk or watching a movie together, which made it a lot more bearable when they couldn’t be together for real. 

After they finally broke apart, Richard gently put Emma back down, leaning over to grab his suitcase and the bouquet of flowers that he had brought for her.

“How are you here?” Emma asked again, touching his arm to reassure herself that he was really here.

“I have good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?” Richard asked with a huge smile as they entered her apartment.

“Well… The way you’re smiling right now, I hope that the bad news aren’t really bad news… so I want to hear them first.”

Richard carried his suitcase in the bedroom, before reaching for her hand and moving them to the living room, where they sat down on her couch.

“Okay… so the bad news is… I will only be able to stay for one night. My plane to LA leaves tomorrow morning…,” Richard explained, his voice turning grave for just a moment but all was forgotten as Emma snuggled closer into his side, lying her head against his chest. He smelled of travelling and airplanes and long days but also still uniquely and deliciously like him, earthly and masculine. 

“Well, since I didn’t expect to see you at all before you left for LA, I wouldn’t say that you staying only the night is exactly ‘bad news’,” Emma replied, smiling contently against his chest.

“As always, you are right, sweetheart,” Richard agreed, gently caressing her back.

“Then let’s hear the good news,” Emma said, slightly pulling back to get a better look at him. Richard’s smile grew even wider.

“So… the good news… the good news is in fact so good that I just had to come here to tell you in person,” Richard explained, dragging out the moment of actually telling her.

“Come oooon… Tell me! You’re making me nervous!”

“Do you remember that spy-drama TV show I told you about? The one I auditioned for in New York a couple of weeks ago?” Richard asked her.

“Of course, I do. I remember everything you’re telling me,” Emma responded.

“Well… Epix called today, telling me that they gave my role to another actor because… because they want me to be one of the lead actors who’ll be on board for the whole thing!”

“Whaaaat? Seriously?? Oh darling, that’s so amazing! Congratulations!! I’m so proud of you!!” Emma beamed at him, pride filling her up to the brim at his success.

“Thank you, sweetheart! But that’s still not the best part about it,” Richard continued and his eyes had a mysterious gleam in them.

“What is the best part?”

“The best part is… Well, you see… The show is called _’Berlin Station’_ … and… we will be shooting in Berlin for about half a year! Can you believe that?”

“Are you serious?”

“Dead serious, my love. The shooting will start at the beginning of October and I’ll move to Berlin in about two and a half weeks for a crash course in German,” Richard explained, happiness pouring out of every pore of his body.

“Are you really serious?” Emma asked again, the prospect of having him living in the same country as her simply too unbelievable.

“Yes, my love, I am indeed. And bearing all that in mind, I have a proposition for you,” Richard began, stealing a quick kiss from her. 

“Let’s hear it then,” Emma replied, smiling at him.

“I know we’ve never really talked about our future together… but… when _I_ look into the future, all I see is you. I know that we’re meant to be together for the rest of our lives. And I know it might seem a little hasty after only three months… but I would love for us to move in together in Berlin. I want us to spend as much time together as possible. I want to make you fall in love with me so deeply, that after I’m done with _’Berlin Station’_ , you’ll be ready to be by my side _forever_. I know you’ve said once that you’d never want to give up your independence, that you’d never want to be dependent on anyone… And I don’t want you to. Keep your job for now, keep your apartment for now… But after that half a year, I would love for us to talk about the possibility of you coming to live with me and maybe even working for me. If it’ll make you feel better, you’ll get an official contract and everything,” Richard rambled on, praying that she would at least be open to consider his proposal.

“What kind of job could you possibly offer me?” Emma wanted to know, her heart beating against her chest forcefully. There were so many thoughts and emotions running through her head in that moment that she didn’t know how to even begin sorting them out.

“I have absolutely no idea. I’ll offer you whatever it takes to persuade you into coming with me. You could be my personal assistant or my stylist or both or whatever else you want to be. It worked pretty well the first time we worked together, didn’t it?” Richard wanted to know.

“Yeah, it did indeed…”

“You know, I travel a lot… if you were by my side, you could start working on fulfilling your dream again. We’d get to see more sunsets than you’d ever be able to put in a book. I want to help making that dream come true for you. And all the other dreams you have. I… You don’t have to decide right now. I just… will you at least consider it?”

“Richard, there is nothing _to_ consider…” Emma replied, sounding a lot more serious than she intended to be. Upon hearing her voice, Richard’s face fell, bracing himself for her reply. For once, his own nervousness prevented him from figuring her out before she said the words.

“There is nothing to consider because I already _am_ so deeply in love with you that I want to be by your side forever. So of course I’ll move in with you. Though I do want to keep my job for now, if that’s okay with you… I’ll work something out with Carl how I can split my working time between Berlin and Munich. And once we’ll get closer to the end of _’Berlin Station’_ , we’ll talk about working together, okay?” 

Richard gazed at her in wonder, another dazzling grin forming on his lips as he let out a deep breath. 

“Do you have any concept of just how happy you are making me? Every time I think I can not possibly be any happier or love you any more, you do or say something that absolutely takes my breath away. I love you, Emma Meyer, with all my heart and soul,” Richard confessed, carefully cupping her face with both of his hands. His eyes were warm and intense and held the promise for the future Emma had always dreamed of.

“I love you, too, and you _are_ my heart and my soul,” Emma replied honestly, touching her hand to his chest. As his face neared hers, Emma’s eyes fluttered close. The touch of his lips was soft, loving and _forever_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed the epilogue (I would really appreciate it if you'd let me know one last time :) )?! With this conclusion, I just wanted give a hopeful glance into their future. And, in addition, I also wanted to open up the possibility to maaaybe coming back to their world in the future since there are still a couple of chapters in my head.
> 
> Anyways... I want to take take this opportunity again, to thank each and every one of you who took the time to read my story and to everyone who took the time to leave feedback and kudos. You kept me motivated throughtout the whole journey and you were ultimately the ones who pushed me to finish this story and for that I'll be forever grateful! THANK YOU!


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